Manly Influences
by Axel-KH
Summary: Sora thinks Riku is the biggest jerk in the school. But when Sora becomes desperate for some guidance in the area of being manly, he has only one choice. Will he become closer to his enemy than he ever expected? RikuxSora Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Sora's POV

I hated school. It was just like some sort of prison I had to attend every day. There was so much pressure on me to do well, a pressure that I had placed on myself. My mom had to take care of me by herself, since my dad left when I was young. And I felt that I had to do well for her sake. That was only the first part of why school was such a pain. The other reason was that I was picked on, non-stop, for everything. Sometimes kids would trip me in the hall to make me drop all my books, and sometimes kids would throw paper balls at me during classes. When I would go to the library, there would always be people whispering about me, and I could do nothing but bury my nose deeper into whatever book I was reading. But most of all, I was teased because all my friends were girls. And I only had three friends in total, anyway. Some people looked at it one way and called me a player, others went at a different approach and called me gay. I learned quickly that people weren't as nice as my mom had always told me they were.

So, I started another typical day, walking to school alongside my friends; Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé. They were all nice girls, but Kairi and Selphie sometimes got a little too chipper for my liking. Naminé was more level-headed, although, she could be downright dull. But they were all I had, and I liked them just fine. After all, they were the first and only ones to ever be nice to me in school.

"So, what are you wearing to the dance, Kairi?" Selphie asked.

"My pink dress with the frills at the bottom, and I'm getting my hair curled too," Kairi answered.

"Wow, I love that dress. What about you, Naminé?" Selphie questioned, turning to the other girl.

"I'm not going," the blonde girl answered.

"Not going?!" Kairi demanded.

"No," Naminé answered.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I don't feel like it. Besides, there's only one guy we all like, and he can't go with all of us. Realistically, he's not going to go with any of us," said Naminé.

"Aww, come on, Naminé. Maybe someday one of us will get to go to the dance with-" but Selphie stopped talking as we made it to the school grounds.

"Riku!!" the three girls squealed, as they watched a silver-haired boy loosen the tie on his school uniform. He was sitting on the steps to the school, his silver bangs covering one eye. His sleeves were rolled up way past his elbows, and his shirt was unbuttoned a bit at the top. I was used to the girls obsessing over him. After all, he was known as 'the hottest guy in the school'. But in my opinion, he was nothing more than a show-off. I wondered how a jerk like him would earn such a title. He didn't even seem nice. Then again, school life just didn't make sense. Another example of that was Riku's friends. People made fun of me and called me gay, but Riku's friends, Axel and Roxas, were in love with each other, and no one made fun of them. The girls thought they were hot, and they would gather around whenever Axel and Roxas would kiss or anything of the sort. From what I could tell, Axel was much like Riku, wanting attention in any way he could get it. It kind of seemed like Axel would start making out with Roxas for attention more than anything else, but I knew they actually did love each other. Roxas was quite fond of Axel. But still, I didn't understand why they were allowed to be gay, and I wasn't. I'm not saying that I am gay, I'm just saying I would be criticized for it if I was.

Kairi and Selphie made a point of walking up the stairs right next to Riku as they headed into the school. Naminé and I, however, stayed over closer to the wall, away from Riku and his friends. In my opinion, most of Riku's friends seemed like jerks. There was Tidus, a blonde guy who loved sports, and had a girlfriend. There was Seifer who loved beating people up, and had a desire to rule the school and everyone in it. There was Axel, of course. And then there was Wakka and Roxas, but neither of them seemed that bad to me. Wakka was a pleasant guy, always smiling, and saying hi to everyone he met. And Roxas, although he was quiet, seemed like a nice guy too. I'd heard that he used to be friends with these three kids named Hayner, Pence, and Olette. But when he fell in love with Axel, they sort of fell apart. Hayner, Pence, and Olette seemed like nice kids too. So there were some good people around, they just didn't talk to me. And out of all the good guys around, I couldn't understand why Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé would all fall for someone like Riku. I pushed these thoughts aside, and then headed for my first class.

Unfortunately, having gym class first thing in the morning wasn't one of my favorite things. Not to mention, Riku and Tidus were both in my class too. They were both great at pretty much all sports, but Riku was wicked at soccer. It was his best sport by far. And of course, it was soccer day in gym class, and I got assigned as goalie. As if that wasn't bad enough, Riku was on the other team, meaning he would be shooting against me. Or rather, at me. I put my protective gear on, and prepared myself for a rough battle. I knew I was about to get smashed up pretty good. I watched as Riku pulled his long silver hair into a ponytail, and Tidus cracked his knuckles. Then the game started, and almost instantly, Riku had the ball in his posession. I could see him coming towards me, and I readied myself. Tidus, who was on my team, ran in front, and tried to kick the ball away from Riku. But Riku was better at the game, and avoided Tidus easily.

"Block it, Sora!" someone called out. But by the time I'd figured out that it had been Pence that had said it, the soccer ball was already hitting me hard in the face. I yelled in discomfort, and then Riku kicked the ball again, sending it right into my net.

"Good one, Riku!" the teacher congratulated. "Next time, try not to hit anyone."

Riku nodded and Tidus laughed. I rubbed my face ruefully, and wondered if I had been hit on purpose.

By the time gym class had finished, Tidus had broken out in a good sweat, strands of hair had fallen out of Riku's ponytail, and I was thoroughly bruised all over. I took off my soccer gear as quickly as I could, and watched as Riku and Tidus high-fived each other before proceeding into the locker room to get changed. I didn't like getting changed in the locker room because I felt uncomfortable. So, as usual, I grabbed my school uniform and headed for the washrooms. As I approached the washroom door, I noticed a sign that read : _Closed for Cleaning. _Sighing heavily, and having no other choice, I returned to the gym and entered the locker room, hoping that I would be coming out alive.

The locker room reeked of sweat and cologne, and I stared down at the floor as I snuck quietly in, not wanting to pay much attention to the many teen-age boys that were freely dressing and undressing before me. As inconspicuously as I could, I hurried to the other side of the locker room and crouched down in one of the changing stalls. Unfortunately, none of the stalls had doors. However, no one was paying any mind to me. Everyone's attention was on someone else that just happened to be Pence.

"So, kid, what do you think you were doing when you told Sora to block the ball? Riku's the king of soccer here, y'know, and I think you may have insulted him," a guy named Raijin was saying.

"I-I didn't mean to," Pence stuttered out.

"Well, you did, y'know? Are you saying that you didn't want Sora to win?" Raijin asked.

"I-I... I did want Sora to win," Pence answered, staring at his feet.

"Wrong answer," Seifer laughed.

"What should we do to him, Riku?" Tidus asked.

"I dunno. Flush 'im," Riku answered.

"The toilets again? Nah, I've got a better idea. Make him get changed right here, not in the stall," Seifer said, coldly.

"N-no!" Pence yelled.

"What's wrong, fatty? Embarrassed that you're not in shape like us?" Tidus teased.

"Stop it, you guys!" I yelled out, unable to help myself. Everyone turned their heads in my direction. I felt small under their gazes, but I tried not to let it show.

"Pence isn't fat, so don't you dare make fun of him! And besides, don't you have anything better to do than put people down? Is that the only way you can make yourselves feel good?!" I shouted at them.

"Well, well, look who dares to stand up to us," Seifer said, coming towards me. I backed up a few steps, but I was now cornered against the wall in the changing stall.

"Leave Pence alone!"

"Give us one good reason why we should, y'know?" Raijin put in.

"Because... you're making yourselves into bad people," was all I could think of to say, and I wished so badly that it hadn't sounded so horribly lame. Everyone burst out in laughter except for Pence who seemed to be trembling in either embarrassment or fear.

"Bad people, huh?" Riku asked as the other boys continued to laugh.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Now let Pence go. He hasn't done anything to you."

"And what do we get in return?"

"M-me. Pence wouldn't be in trouble with you guys if it weren't for me, so you can torture me instead," I told Riku, not being able to believe the words leaving my mouth. Riku eyed me carefully, probably trying to figure out why I would say such things.

"Fine," he agreed. Seifer pushed Pence roughly on the shoulder, and then all the boys crowded around me.

"It's your lucky day, fatty. You're free to go eat another ten burgers," Tidus cackled as Pence grabbed his uniform and ran from the locker room.

"So, what do we do to this one?" Seifer asked.

"Same," Riku answered, emotionlessly. I wondered how they could all be so mean and still be able to live with themselves.

"Haha! This should be good, y'know?" Rai laughed.

"W-what should?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear what Riku said? You get the same punishment as the fat kid," Tidus smirked.

"I-I have to...?" But I couldn't even finish the sentence. Seifer and Raijin had me by the arms and were dragging me to the middle of the room. They let go, and the imprint of their tight grip was left on my skin.

"Alright, go ahead," Riku instructed. I swallowed hard, and tried to pretend that I was confident in my body that had barely even begun to mature. I pulled my shirt off, revealing my skinny upper half. I had no strong muscles like the other guys, and I looked kind of sickly thin next to the rest of them. I avoided looking at them, for I was afraid at how amused they might have looked. I pulled the shirt of my uniform on, and put on my tie as slowly as I could, dreading having to go through with any more of the process. But the time came, and even though I was terrified, and most likely as red as a beet, I slipped my gym shorts down. I felt my face grow even redder when I remembered that I was wearing briefs and not boxers. All the guys laughed except for Riku. He just stood there and smirked with amusement. I pulled my pants on quickly not only because I was embarrassed, but also because I was afraid of Riku. How could he be so calm, so cool, and yet so terribly evil. His eyes were like icicles piercing me, and I felt like he froze me on the spot whenever he looked at me.

"There, I'm done," I announced, letting the boys know that their laugh was over. Riku nodded.

"That was quite the show! Next time we'll think of something even better!" Tidus laughed as he, Raijin, and Seifer left the locker room. I stuffed my gym clothes into my bag, and hurried towards the door too.

"Hey, Sora. You should start hanging out with me and my friends," Riku said. I turned to him, unbelievingly.

"Why do you think I would want to hang out with you?!" I asked, before running out of the locker room, and letting the door close hard behind me with a bang.

A/N: Hi. Uh, I know the guys seem really perverted or gay or something because they're making the other boys change in front of them. But they're actually straight. Except for Axel and Roxas, who are not even in the locker room. They're yaoi. This story gets better as it goes on though and the focus is going to be on Riku and Sora. So please read and review. I've already finished the story so updates won't be too slow if there are people reviewing it. I need feedback, but please, no flames.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N : Wow, I really wasn't expecting to get reviews that fast! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. So here you go. As promised, a fast update. Oh yeah, and I forgot that Axel and Roxas actually did have past relationships with other guys. hehe. So I guess they're not really yaoi... Anyway... Enjoy :D

I waited in line a while to get my food from the cafeteria, and then met up with the girls at one of the lunch tables.

"Kairi, you're not having a salad?" Selphie was asking, when I sat down.

"No, why?" Kairi answered, eyeing her hamburger warily.

"The dance is in a week," Selphie stated.

"I don't think having a burger one day this week is going to hurt anything," Naminé spoke up.

"Yeah, me neither," I said, taking a bite of my own burger.

"So, Sora, what happened today?" Kairi asked.

"What do you mean?"

"With Riku's boys and Pence?"

"O-oh, that..."

"Come on, Sora. Tell!" Selphie yelled, excitedly. She always loved to have the latest gossip.

"How did everyone hear about that anyway?" I asked.

"Well, for one, Riku's boys are going around talking about it. And secondly, Pence has been crying all morning," Kairi explained, nodding her head in the direction of another table. I looked over and saw Hayner, Pence, and Olette all sitting at a table by themselves, and Pence seeming very upset. The other two seemed down, too.

"I-I don't want to talk about it," I said, quietly, feeling bad for Pence.

"Aww, why not?" Selphie whined.

"All I'm going to say is that Riku is the biggest jerk I've ever known. All his friends are."

After finishing lunch, I went to the library, having a really bad need to get lost in a good book. I needed to get rid of the bad thoughts in my head. I grabbed a book off a shelf, and sat down. Soon after that, though, two boys that I didn't know approached me.

"Sorry to interrupt, but are you the boy that was forced to change in the locker room today?" one of them asked.

"Y-yeah, that's me," I answered.

"Okay, I thought so. Riku said you had a feminine body," he laughed.

"What? I-I'm not feminine."

"Then why are you reading a romance novel?" the other boy asked. I turned over the book that was in my hands, and realized that it _was _a romance novel that I had taken. I then began blushing, and the two boys walked away, chuckling. I tried to shrug off everything that they had said, but I couldn't because I knew deep down that it was true as I occupied myself with reading the book.

A few minutes later, a familiar silver-haired boy entered the library, a soul that was rarely ever seen anywhere with books. I could see over the top of my novel that Riku was approaching me. I took in a deep breath and tried to calm myself as he sat down beside me.

"Hey, there," he greeted.

"Hi..." I answered, not taking my eyes away from my book.

"What're you doing?" he asked, trying to see the cover of the novel. I closed it and turned it over so he couldn't see it.

"Reading."

"Okay... Listen, Sora, you really should come and hang out with me and my group," the older teen said.

"Why would I want to? You won't even apologize to Pence, will you?"

"I'll apologize to _you_."

"But Pence is the one you really hurt!" I told him.

"Why do you care about him anyway?"

"Because he's one of the rare few that are actually nice around here."

"Oh, yeah? What about me? I'm nice," he said, reclining in his chair. And for a minute, his god-like face almost fooled me that he was a good person.

"Yeah, right. From what I've seen and heard about you, you don't seem very nice. Besides, if you were nice you'd go and apologize to Pence," I said, picking up my book again. Riku didn't respond to that last comment.

Riku watched me read for a few minutes until I finally looked up at him.

"What do you want, Riku?" I asked.

"I want to be friends with you," he answered.

"You want to be friends after you purposely hit me with the soccer ball, humiliated me in front of all your friends, and went around telling everyone that I have a feminine body?!"

"Listen, I'm sorry if I hurt you with the soccer ball. Sometimes I get carried away. I sort of like to impress people."

"Impress people by hurting others? That's what you're all about, isn't it? Well, I'll tell you something, Riku. I'm not impressed."

"Sora-"

"What?!"

"Maybe all you need is some manly infulences. You know, since all your friends are girls?" he said.

"Oh, are you going to start insulting my friends now too? Huhh??"

"I-" The librarian then shushed me, and gave me a dirty look.

"Well, Riku, I've gotta go," I told him, grabbing my bag and book.

"Sora, if you ever need help getting rid of that feminine body, not to mention personality, and also those girly books, I'll be waiting," Riku said, as I stood up.

"You're the last person I'd ever want to seek help from. Especially for stuff like that."

Bio labs were the worst. I hated the thought of cutting frogs open just for the sake of seeing their organs first-hand. It would have been fine with me to just look at diagrams of them for the rest of my life, but that wasn't an option.

"Alright. Your assigned lab partners are as follows. Roxas and Selphie. Demyx and Naminé. Pence and Olette. Sora and Hayner." The teacher continued to read off the list of partners, but I didn't pay any further attention to her. I glanced over at Hayner and he gave me a friendly wave. Even though I didn't know him that well, I was content. He seemed like a good guy.

"Okay. Everyone, get a pair of gloves, a tray, some scissors, and then I'll pass out the frogs," the teacher announced. All the students got up from their stools and busied themselves with getting supplies.

"Hi," I said, as I approached Hayner.

"Hey, there. You wanna get the scissors and I'll get the tray?" he asked.

"Sure."

Soon, we had gotten all of our supplies and found a spot at one of the lab tables.

"Here you go," the bio teacher said, removing a frog from a bucket and placing it on our tray.

"Thanks," Hayner answered, sarcastically. I chuckled as the teacher walked away.

"So, who's going to do the cutting?" I asked, picking up the scissors and eyeing them, warily. But I realized that Hayner's attention was on something else. I followed his gaze and found that he was staring at Roxas.

"Uh... D-do you want to see if we can switch partners or something?" I questioned, nervously.

"No, why do you ask that?" Hayner asked me back, snapping out of his daze.

"You just seem like you'd rather be with Roxas."

"Why would I wanna be partners with a jerk like Roxas?" he muttered.

"Oh- Sorry. I just... I thought you two used to be best friends."

"Yeah, used to be."

"Well, what happened? Couldn't you just make up and be friends again?" I asked.

"I don't think we can fix what's been broken." Hayner paused.

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. But, why does Roxas hang out with Riku's gang? He doesn't seem the type."

"It's all because of that red-head, Axel," Hayner said, a bitterness in his voice.

"I-I know they're a couple, but that's why Roxas joined the group?"

"Yeah. I guess they just care about each other one hell of a lot."

"Well, couldn't you still hang out with each other sometimes? They don't have to be together _all _the time, do they? O-or, are you against gay people or something?" I asked, awkwardly.

"No, that's not it at all. I just don't want to see Roxas anymore."

"Why?"  
"You're really nosy, you know that?"

"S-sorry. ...I guess that's another one of my girly traits," I told him.

"What?"

"That's what Riku thinks, anyway."

"Looks like we've got an enemy in common," Hayner said.

"Guess so."

"Anyway, let's get to work on dissecting this frog."

Finally, the long school day ended. But still, I couldn't go home. Sometimes, being a good friend was painful. When the girls asked me to go to Kairi's house after school and help them choose outfits for the dance, I couldn't say no. So, there I was in Kairi's bedroom with Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé. Selphie and Kairi had persuaded Naminé to go to the dance, but I told myself that I wouldn't let them convince me too.

"What do you think, Sora? The pink top or the yellow one?" Selphie asked me, holding out two shirts.

"Why are you asking my opinion? I'm a guy!" I demanded.

"Because guys are supposed to notice these things on girls. So, which one?" Selphie said.

"Well, the pink one is pretty," I said. The three girls all turned their heads and stared at me. "-On you!" I added.

"Look! Riku's online!" Kairi yelled, looking as if she was about to kiss her computer screen.

"Really?!" Selphie cried out, dropping both shirts and running over to the computer screen.

"Like I said before. He's not going to the dance with any of us," Naminé spoke up, continuing to sit on Kairi's bed.

"Whatever! Riku's really online! And, I just sent the webcam video of Selphie choosing an outfit to Tidus!" Kairi squealed.

"You what?!" I shouted, hurrying to her side. _Transfer Complete_, was written underneath the video.

"Please, don't tell me I was in it," I panicked.

"Of course, you were in it. I just took it, and you were right there," Kairi answered.

"Great..."

"Don't worry, Sora. I'm sure Tidus won't even care that you're in it," Naminé said.

"It's not Tidus that I'm worried about. He'll show Riku, and he's the one that scares me," I told the three of them, but none of them were listening. And I was too humiliated to stick around any longer.

"Okay, I think it's time for me to go," I said, getting up.

"But, wait, Sora! We haven't picked an outfit for you to wear to the dance yet!" Kairi yelled.

"I'm really not interested," I answered, shaking my head.

"Oh, come on, Sora!" Selphie whined, tugging on my sleeve. Honestly, why would I want to go? I wouldn't have a date, and I'd just be going with all my girl friends who would be paying attention to all the other guys there. Plus, Riku and his friends would be there. What bugged me was that I was a perfectly nice guy right in front of Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé. Yet, not one of them liked me the same way they that liked Riku. _It's probably just because of his good looks, _I told myself. _Not that I, personally, think he has good looks. I-it's just... _I left my thoughts at that, not wanting to come to an embarrassing conclusion.

"Please, will you come to the dance, Sora? They've convinced me to go," Naminé explained.

"I-"

"Please!" the other two begged.

"Why do you want me to go, anyway? You probably won't even hang out with me when we get there."

"We won't ditch you, Sora," Kairi reassured me.

"Oh, fine. I'll go."

"Yay!" the three girls cheered. They all came away from the computer and Selphie and Naminé took a seat on Kairi's bed. Kairi, however, went to her closet.

"So, I was thinking you could wear this to the dance," Kairi smiled, pulling out a little pink dress.

"What?! No!" I shouted.

"Why not?" Kairi asked.

"What are you trying to do? Take away the little bit of manliness I have?!" I demanded.

"You'll look cute. Besides, no one will even know it's you once we're done," Selphie spoke up.

"What? No way! I'll go to the dance but I refuse to wear that."

"Please, Sora? Please?" Kairi pleaded.

"Why?!"

"Because, we were thinking that maybe we just aren't cute enough for Riku to ask us out," said Selphie.

"Yeah? And?"

"We want to see if you get asked out by Riku or any of his friends if you dress up as a girl," Kairi finished.

"No! No, I won't do this!" I squawked.

"But, Sora-"

"No."

"...You can wear make-up. No one will even recognize you."

"Still no."

"For us?" the three girls asked, pouting.

"Sorry, no."

"What if we e-mail Tidus and make him swear not to show the video to Riku?" Kairi asked.

"...I- O-okay, fine. But, you guys have to make me absolutely unrecognizable, okay?" I said, uncertainly.

"No problem. Besides, the dance isn't until next week, but we'd better do a test-run now just in case," Selphie said, opening her cosmetics bag, as Kairi sent Tidus the e-mail.

"How do we know Tidus won't just show Riku the video anyway?" I asked.

"Because Tidus' girlfriend, Yuna, won't let him do that. She'll keep him in line," Kairi giggled.

"O-okay... I guess."

"Alright. Make-over time!"

Please review :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N : Here's the chapter a lot of people have been anticipating. Enjoy. Oh, and I don't own the characters or anything. Just the story.

Why I had agreed to dress as a girl and go to the dance, I'll never really know. And I might never really forgive myself either. I spent every day leading up to the dance living in fear. I hadn't had any encounters with Riku all week, which I was thankful for. I hoped that maybe my face wouldn't be so clear in his mind, and he wouldn't recognize me in my utterly embarrassing disguise.

Before I knew it, it was the day of the dance. I got paired up with Roxas for debating in English class. The topic was that an end should be put to school dances. Of course, at this time especially, I was glad to be on the government side. I had tons of reasons why there should've been no more dances. But many of those reasons I couldn't tell to Roxas, or anyone except the girls, really.

"Hi, I'm Roxas," the blonde boy said, holding out his hand to me. I shook it, and smiled.

"I'm Sora," I answered.

"Roxas and Sora, you two will be debating against Raijin and Seifer," the English teacher announced. Roxas nodded at the two boys across the room.

"You all have this class to prepare for the debate. This afternoon, you will present them," the teacher smiled, eyeing all of us.

"Okay, we should get to work fast," I said, staring at my blank sheet of paper.

"Yeah," Roxas answered, taking out a notebook and pen.

"So, reasons to end dances..."

"Speaking of the dance, are you going?"

"Uh- N-nah," I answered, nervously.

"Oh..."

"Are you?"

"Y-yeah," Roxas muttered.

"Why do you say it like that?"

"I-I'm nervous about it."

"How come?" I asked.

"Well, this is the first dance I've ever been to with Axel since we... you know, became a couple."

"Oh. So what? No one seems to care."

"Axel is the one that pushed me to be open about our relationship. I was always embarrassed about it."

"So, it bothers you that you two show your love?" I questioned him, uneasily, wondering if one day I might feel the same way.

"A little bit. Especially when he really starts going at it, you know, just to make a scene," Roxas said, staring down at his desk, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

"D-did you ever tell him that you're uncomfortable with that?"

"No... I-I love him too much to tell him. I don't want him to get upset and leave me." I didn't know what to say next.

"Heh, I'm probably making it sound like I've been left before," he said, quietly.

"Uh, were you?" I asked.

"No. I left someone else, and I've felt guilty ever since." Suddenly, the connection hit me.

"Hayner?!"

"Y-yeah," Roxas answered, obviously surprised that I had figured it out.

"You two went out?"

"Yeah..." I could tell Roxas was getting uncomfortable with the conversation, so I let it go.

"That explains a lot," I said, my eyes widening a bit. "Anyway, debate... debate..."

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Hayner will ever talk to me again?" he asked.

"I-I don't know. I know Hayner's pretty upset, but I kinda think that someday he'll come around."

"You think so?"

"Yup," I answered.

Roxas smiled and turned his head to stare out the window.

"I hope so."

Lunchtime came much sooner than I had hoped it would. It meant that the dance was quickly approaching. As I headed for the table where Kairi and the other girls were sitting, I paused, and glanced over at Hayner's table. I was frozen, unable to look away because the sight before me was more than surprising. Hayner and that girl, Olette, were kissing. It was just a light kiss, but I still couldn't believe it. As I looked closer, I could see that Olette had her eyes closed and seemed to be enjoying the contact with the boy beside her. Hayner, however, seemed to be kissing her awkwardly. His eyes were open, and focused on another individual; Roxas. _If Hayner's that lonely for Roxas and Roxas misses Hayner, then I have to help,'_ I thought. But it would have to wait. Hayner was obviously busy at the moment, and I was hungry. And so, I made my way to my lunch table and started eating my chicken sandwich.

"We, the government party, think that school dances should be terminated for reasons such as alcohol and violence, which I will now explain in more depth," Roxas announced in English class that afternoon. I couldn't believe that I was standing before the class, preparing myself for my turn to speak in the debate. I hadn't really planned as much as I should have. I took in some deep breaths and tried to calm myself down as Roxas proceeded to name off some disadvantages of dances. The only positive thing I could think of was that I was only debating against Rai and Seifer, not Riku. Roxas finished off his points, and then nodded for me to start speaking.

"So, I think school dances should be discontinued because teasing and bullying are problems. Uh..." I paused when I heard a few of Riku's friends stifle chuckles.  
"People can get hurt, and so can their feelings... Yeah. Also, there's a big problem with the dress code. Guys shouldn't be wearing dresses-" The class broke out in laughter, and I swallowed hard as I realized what I had said.

"_Girls_!Girls shouldn't be wearing dresses that are too short... or too revealing," I said, trying to cover up my mistake. But it was too late. Everyone had already gotten their good amusement out of it. I sat down, embarrassedly, unable to say any more.

"Now, we do_ not_ think that school dances should be banned, ya know? People have lots of fun at dances, and it's good for their social life, ya know?" Raijin started, standing up. He continued to talk for a few more minutes and then sat down, allowing Seifer time to speak.

"Dances aren't a bad thing. The government party mentioned something about alcohol being a problem? Well, drinking doesn't hurt anyone. When people get out of hand and can't control themselves when they're drunk, that's when things go wrong. And as for violence, no one here is going to hurt anyone else," Seifer said. I glared at him, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Dress code? Well, the only guys that would wear dresses would have to be some real weirdos. I don't think we'll have a problem with guys in dresses. And like my partner here on the opposition side said, we need some fun in our lives. Dances give us that fun. We're under the curse of teachers, school, work... Heh. Thrash 'im." As soon as Seifer had finished speaking, the class broke out in applause and cheers. I put my head down on my desk. We had obviously lost the debate, but of course I had to embarrass myself too.

"The debate wasn't _that _bad," Roxas said, after class.

"It wasn't bad for you. You had good points," I answered.

"Yeah, but it really wasn't that bad. I mean, girls really do need to stop wearing such short dresses."

"No one was even listening to that part of my speech. They were all too busy laughing at my mistake."

"Don't sweat it. Everyone makes mistakes," he said, giving me an encouraging smile.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Sora? Do you think everything will go okay tonight with me and Axel?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think everything will be fine. Just go with a positive attitude and have fun," I told him.

"Okay. Thanks," he smiled. We lightly pounded fists with each other, and then parted ways.

I showed up at the dance looking ridiculous. The girls had straightened my hair and had it tied up on top of my head with a flower in it. I was wearing a pink dress with spaghetti straps, and was way too short for me to feel comfortable in. Kairi said the top half would look fine since I was flat-chested, but also gave me the option of a stuffed bra, which I refused. I followed Selphie, Naminé, and Kairi into the dance, uneasily.

"I can't do this, I can't do this," I kept muttering.

"Sora, all you have to do is talk to Riku," Kairi said.

"I was thinking I would just avoid Riku," I smiled, sheepishly.

"Remember why you're here, Sora," Selphie cut in.

"I can't do this! Don't you think someone will recognize me?"

"Nice dress, Sora," Tidus sniggered, as he passed by. "I guess we did have to worry about guys in dresses!"

"Kairi!!" I panicked.

"At least he didn't say anything about that video I sent him," Kairi smiled, half-heartedly. I then felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Roxas smiling at me awkwardly.

"Sora, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked. I nodded and followed him a little ways away from the girls.

"Listen, I have some clothes in the locker room if you want to change into them," he said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Thank you _so_ much, Roxas. You have no idea how much I love you right now," I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Not a problem." With that, I hurried off to the locker room.

Making sure no one saw me, I snuck into the boys' locker room and closed the door quietly behind me, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Sora." I turned around and found myself staring at Riku.

"This can't be happening," I muttered, closing my eyes in disbelief.

"That dress is cute on you," he smirked.

"W-what?! I _am _a guy, you know?!" I shouted at him.

"Hard to say that right now, isn't it? What are you doing back here anyway?" he asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, casually.

"I should ask you the same thing. You're probably getting loaded or something."

"I don't drink," he said, his face serious.

"Yeah, right," I laughed.

"I don't do drugs or smoke either."

"Uh-huh... Do your other friends do that stuff?"

"Some of them," he replied.

"But you say you're not like that?"

"No. I'm not." I knew he was lying, but I couldn't discuss the matter any more right then. I had to get out of that dress. I fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Right. I really came in here to get out of this outfit. Can I change now?" I asked him, nervously.

"Why are you in that dress anyway?"

"Uh... Long story." I then spotted Roxas' checkered sweater and black and beige pants lying on the bench, and I grabbed them before Riku could delay me any longer. I was about to run into one of the changing stalls when I remembered one annoying little detail; no doors.

"D-don't look at me while I'm getting changed," I ordered.

"Okay," he answered.

"Well, turn around!" I told him, when I noticed he was still looking even after I had entered the stall. He looked away from me and I began to undress. I heard him snicker under his breath and I looked up at him. His back was turned, but I realized that he was looking at me in the mirror.

"Riku!!" I panicked.

"Sorry," he laughed, and he began pacing the locker room, not looking at me. Once I had fully changed, I walked out of the stall and threw the girls' clothes into an empty locker.

"Riku, don't tell anyone about this," I told him, sternly.

"About what?" he questioned.

"You know what. About me wearing that dress."

"Why wouldn't I tell?"

"Riku, please don't."

"Why not?"

"Please, I'll do anything," I begged.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Anything you want." He stared down at me for a minute, and then spoke.

"I want you to be my friend."

"What? No, I can't do that," I responded.

"Come on," he urged, folding his arms again.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a mean person."

"Then, I guess your little dress secret might 'accidently' slip," he said.

"W-wait. I'll be your friend for a day." Riku shook his head.

"A week?" I asked.

"Fine. A week," he agreed, holding out his hand. I shook it, and then looked up at him.

"So, when does this friendship thing start?" I asked.

"Tomorrow. Friday."

"Do we hang out on week-ends too?"

"Of course."

"Okay, fine. We start tomorrow. Got it," I said, as I headed back out to the dance.

"But, Sora?" Riku spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"You might decide you want to be friends with me for longer when a week is over."

"Hah. Thanks, but I seriously doubt that, Riku," I said, leaving the locker room once again.

A/N : Thanks once again to everyone who has been reviewing and reading and faving. Now reviewers, please do what you do best. Review :D


	4. Chapter 4

It took me a while the next morning to fully realize what I had done. _Did I really commit myself to a week of friendship with Riku? _I dragged myself out of bed and stepped into the shower. Man, it felt good to get all the remains of yesterday off my skin. And since my hair was now wet, I would be able to return it to its original spikey state. Suddenly, I could hear Riku's voice in my head and without a warning, I had a vision of him in the shower with me.

"What?!" I yelled, then turned off the tap faster than I would have if the water had burned me, and got out. _Why would I ever think of Riku like that? _I wondered, worriedly, as I dried myself off. Lately, I felt like I didn't know myself at all. I didn't know what to think of anything anymore, and it was like I was changing quicker than I could keep up with. But this was getting really out of hand.

"Sora! Your friend is here!" my mom called out from downstairs. I sped up my pace and got dressed and then hurried downstairs.

"Riku?!" I shouted, when I walked into the kitchen to see him sitting in a chair. _So I really did hear his voice. At least that's a bit reassuring. At least I didn't just hear his voice in my head for no reason._

"Hey, Sora," he answered.

"What are you doing here?!" I demanded.

"Waiting for you," he said, simply.

"Sora, you didn't tell me you made a new friend," my mom said, smiling at Riku. Apparently, he had already introduced himself to her.

"Well, I guess it hasn't really sunken in yet," I answered, rubbing the back of my head.

"Well, come on, Sora. We don't want to be late," Riku said, standing up.

"You're leaving?" my mom asked.

"Y-yeah. I guess I don't need a drive to school today, Mom. I'll just walk there with Riku," I told her.

"Okay, if you're sure. Have a good time," she said.

"Yeah," I answered, dully, motioning for Riku to follow me.

"It was nice to meet you," Riku said to my mom._ What a suck-up, _I thought.

"Bye, Mom," I muttered, as I dragged Riku by the sleeve, quickly out of my house.

"You were in the shower?" Riku smirked, when we got outside.

"Be quiet! What makes you think you can just come marching right into my house?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Your mom invited me in."

"Fine, whatever."

"That took you a long time, ya know?" I looked to my right and saw Raijin and the rest of Riku's friends standing in a group.

"Sorry, guys. Sora was taking a while in the shower," Riku said. Rai, Tidus, and Seifer laughed.

"Roxas takes a while in the shower too. But that's okay. I don't mind," Axel said.

"Ah, Axel, do you have to?!" Seifer shouted.

"Sorry," Axel answered. Roxas turned as red as a strawberry.

"It's not like I watch him the whole time he's in the shower," Axel said in a low voice.

"Axel!!" Rai and Tidus yelled.

"Sorry."

"Guys, let's start walking," Riku suggested.

"Oh, right," Seifer said. We all began walking down the path that would lead us to the school. I walked as close to Riku as I could. As bad as he was, I felt safer next to him than I did to some of the other boys. I would have walked beside Roxas, but he was busy making his way to school with his hand locked with Axel's. And even though Wakka seemed nice, I barely knew him and I didn't really want to walk next to him. So although I never thought I would admit it, Riku was the best thing I had right then.

The school day went by quickly, but awkwardly. I sat in the back of all the classrooms with Riku and his friends, and received several odd and curious glances from Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé. I hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to them about the deal I'd made with Riku. When I had gone back into the dance the night before, after being in the locker room, the girls had been off dancing somewhere so I had just gone home.

Riku was waiting for me in front of the school when classes ended.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," I answered, quietly. I wanted to get out of there fast before Kairi and the other girls saw me and made a scene.

"Are you ready to go?" Riku asked.

"Where are we going?"

"To wherever the boys feel like going."

"And what time will we be getting back?"

"Probably one or two o'clock in the morning," Riku answered.

"One or two?!" I panicked.  
"Yeah, it _is _a Friday night, after all."

"But, I'm never out that late-... O-okay. Fine. But I need to go home first and tell my mom," I told him, feeling like such a little kid.

"Alright, then," he smirked. _Man, that smirk was really getting to me._

"Hey, there you are. We've been lookin' for ya," said Wakka, coming up beside us, followed by the rest of the gang.

"Where to, guys?" Tidus asked.

"The skate park?" Seifer suggested.

"Sure," Riku agreed. The rest nodded.

"I just love to see my little Roxy skateboard!" Axel chirped. Seifer, Rai, and Tidus groaned. Roxas blushed again. I stared at my feet, feeling awkward for what seemed to be the millionth time this week.

"Okay, we need to swing by Sora's place, then we can go to the park," Riku told the guys.

"Kay," the other guys agreed, some of them trying not to chuckle. _Why me?_

"Mom, I'm home," I called out, dropping my schoolbag on the kitchen table, then continuing into the living room. My mom was sitting on the couch, hand-sewing a button onto one of my coats. I was always ripping and tearing my clothes one way or another. I had a knack for clumsiness.

"Hi, Sora," she said.

"Uh, Mom, I'm going out for a while with my friends," I told her.

"With the girls?" she asked.

"N-no. With the guys." My mom looked up from her sewing.

"What? I didn't know you had friends that were boys."

"Yeah. I just met them."

"Oh, congratulations," she smiled, getting up and hugging me. It was kind of depressing that I deserved a hug just for getting some friends that were the same gender as me.

"So, is Riku one of those boys? He seemed charming," my mom said.

"Ch-charming? Heh, he _is _one of those boys, but I hardly think he's charming," I told her, becoming flustered.

"You should invite those boys to dinner here some night. I'd like to meet them."

"Uh, actually, I don't think I can do that. They're really not that kind of guys," I laughed slightly, trying not to seem too panicky.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that they wouldn't want to miss dinner with their families," I lied.

"Oh, well their families are important to them. That's a good thing."

"Anyway, I need to go. I probably won't be back until one or two in the morning, but I promise I'll be careful," I told her, quickly, heading out the door again before she could protest.

"O-okay... Be safe."

The skate park was pretty much empty, save a few adults and us, of course. All of Riku's friends had their skateboards with them, except for Riku. Roxas, Seifer, Raijin, and Tidus started skateboarding immediately. Out of all of them, Roxas seemed to be the most talented. He could do some amazing tricks and land them no problem.

"Isn't Roxy amazing?" Axel marvelled. I nodded. Axel then jumped on his skateboard and went with the rest of them.

"I might as well go too, ya?" said Wakka, grabbing his board and joining them as well. Riku and I sat down on the swings, and watched them. I looked at all the boys and not one of them seemed to be at all concerned that they were skateboarding in their school uniforms. I was afraid of ruining mine. Accidents happen, after all. But I didn't think the issue of the school uniform was the reason why Riku wasn't taking part in the activity.

"Aren't you going to skateboard, too?" I asked him.

"No," he answered, scuffing his feet along the ground as he swung gently back and forth on the swing.

"Why not?"

"I don't skateboard."

"Really? I thought you'd be really good at it."

"I don't skateboard _anymore_," he said.

"Oh." I didn't bother asking him anymore, because he was staring at the ground and seemed to be uncomfortable.

"Do _you_ skateboard?" Riku asked me, after a minute.

"A-a bit. Nothing like these guys," I told him, nodding towards the others. Wakka must have heard what we were talking about because he stopped and motioned for me to come over.

"You can use my board if you want to, ya?" he said, holding his skateboard out to me. I got up from the swing and accepted the offer. I put the skateboard down on the ground and stepped onto it.

"Skate! Skate!" Tidus and Seifer began to chant. I realized that all the others had stopped skating as well, just so they could watch me. I closed my eyes for a brief second and hoped for the best. Then I pressed off with my behind foot and skated along. I heel flipped the board beneath me and I heard some _'whoa'_s from the boys.

"Try the ramp, ya know?" Raijin called out. I didn't want to be a show-off, but I did want to impress these idiots if I was going to have to spend the whole week with them. I wanted to fit in as much as I could, even though I had never wanted to be anything like them. I saw Riku perk up a bit over on the swing, and he fixed his eyes on me. I took a deep breath and headed towards the ramp. The ride up the ramp was the easy part, but I found myself sliding back down, skinning my arms and knees all the way, without my board.

"Sora!" Seconds later, Riku was by my side as I lay on the hard pavement.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," I answered, embarrassed and irritated with myself. I didn't want to see how badly I was bleeding.

"That was quite the stunt," Tidus smirked.

"How bad does it look?" I asked Riku.

"Your arms aren't bleeding, they're just scratched. Your knees, on the other hand..." Riku said.

"Here, I have some bandages in my bag," Roxas spoke up. He always seemed to be getting me out of trouble. Roxas dug out a few bandages and handed them to Riku. I sat up, and took the bandages from him.

"I can put them on myself," I told him, feeling mortified, and not wanting to make myself seem any more immature. Riku stood up and everyone watched me put the band-aids on my knees. When I finished, I stood up too.

"Where are we going next?" Axel asked.

"Well, it's nearly dark. We could go to the bar," Seifer suggested.

"Yeah. Pool," Tidus said.

"We're going to the pool?" I asked, naively.

"No, we're going to _play_ pool. _Shoot _some pool. You know, the game?" Axel asked.

"Oh, right. That," I said, quietly.

"Okay, off we go."

I was completely against going to a bar for several reasons. Number one, I wasn't old enough to go to a bar. Number two, there was alcohol and I didn't drink. And number three, which I didn't even realize was a problem until we got there, the place reeked of cigarette smoke. It stung my eyes the moment we walked in, and I wondered if the other boys even noticed. Tidus and Seifer headed off to get drinks, Wakka sat down on one of the barstools, Axel and Roxas started a game of pool at one of the tables, and Riku and Raijin started a game at another one. I, not really knowing what to do, went and sat down beside Wakka.

"Th-this place really smells, doesn't it?" I said.

"Ya, but you get used to it, man," Wakka replied. I tried to look around at all the people, but the smoke was thick, and it made my vision hazy. I watched as older teens and adults took huge gulps of their drinks, and deep inhales of their cigarettes. I felt more and more uncomfortable by the minute, the air was stuffy, and the atmosphere was making me feel claustrophobic. Not to mention, a new fear had crossed my mind. Finally, I went to Riku.

"Riku, can we get out of here soon? My clothes are going to smell like smoke, and my mom is going to-"

"Oh, you're right. She's going to think you were smoking or something," he finished.

"Yeah. Can we leave?" I asked him. I looked up into his eyes, and he didn't look so good. I thought maybe this place was getting to him too. He looked wiped out, and kind of sick.

"A-are you okay, Riku?" I asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he replied, coughing a little. I noticed him loosen his tie a little bit, before he answered, "And yeah, we can leave."

Within fifteen minutes, the eight of us were out of the bar and back onto the sidewalk, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Who won that game of pool, Axel?" Tidus asked as we walked.

"Roxas, of course," Axel smiled, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend.

"You let him win again, didn't you?" Seifer asked.

"Haha. Yeah," the red-head grinned.

"Where do we go now?" Roxas asked, probably trying to change the subject to something that didn't involve him.

"Hey, why don't we go to the pool?" Riku spoke up.

"Wh-why don't we just go home?" I asked.

"You were the one that seemed like you wanted to go to the pool in the first place," the silver-haired teen said to me.

"What? Oh, that. No, I was confused. I didn't know you guys were talking about shooting pool."

"Still, it seemed like you wanted to go."

"Not really. Besides, the it's the middle of the night. The pool is closed," I said.

"So what?" Riku asked.

"What?" I questioned, unbelievingly.

"We just sneak in the back door like we always do," Seifer said.

"Sneak in?! Wouldn't that be considered trespassing?" I panicked.

"Yeah? It doesn't matter," Riku said.

"Yes, it does matter! That's against the law!" I yelled. But the boys were already walking ahead and sniggering. Riku put a hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go, Sora," he said. I pulled away from him.

"I can walk on my own," I muttered, knowing I had no choice but to go with them.

Minutes later, we were entering the back entrance of the pool. As strange as it was, there was no security around, and the door had a weak lock on it which Tidus seemed to be quite talented at opening. The pool water glistened as the moon shone on it through the window. The place smelled strongly of chlorine.

"Guys, we're going to get caught," I whispered.

"No, we won't," Riku answered. "Besides, Sora, now you can get that smokey smell off you."

"But, I'll be soaking wet and I'll smell like chlorine."

"Tell your mom you went swimming."

"With my clothes on?"

"Fine, we'll play strip poker," Riku smirked.

"Strip poker?!" I demanded.

"Now you're talking, ya know?" Raijin shouted, high-fiving Riku.

"Why would we do that?" I asked.

"Then we can all get rinsed off, it'll just be in the form of a game," said Riku.

"Couldn't it be in the form of some other game?" I asked, desperately, but no one was paying attention to me anymore. They were all sitting down in a circle, and Roxas pulled a deck of cards out of his bag.

"You can't be serious?!" I yelled, but Riku tugged on my sleeve and made me sit down too. Roxas dealt the cards out, and I closed my eyes, not believing what was happening before me, not believing what I was about to sit through, and especially not believing what my mom would say if she ever found out. The game began...

It didn't take me long to figure out that no one wanted to see Wakka strip, Tidus was dying to take his shirt off, and Axel lost clothes on purpose to impress Roxas. The boys had made up special rules to the game, saying that everyone took turns telling each other what article of clothing to remove. I tried not to stare when one of the guys would lose a piece of clothing. After all, I didn't need to see anything like that. But when Riku was forced to take his shirt off, I couldn't take my eyes away, and I hated myself for it. He unbuttoned his school dress shirt and slipped it off so slowly and gracefully, revealing a skinny, yet muscular and attractive torso. Not that _I_ thought it was attractive, but I could understand why Kairi and the other girls would like it. Another thing I noticed about Riku that night was how his hair sparkled like the water when the moonlight hit it. He was a good-looking guy, and there was no denying it.

I soon found myself down to only my underwear, which I made sure were boxers this time, and feeling extremely awkward. Especially since I was surrounded by a whole group of shirtless guys.

"Boxers," Riku's voice said. I paid no mind to it.

"Boxers," he said again. Tidus elbowed me in the shoulder.

"He's talking to you, you know?" he said.

"W-what?!" I asked.

"Come on, Sora. I've already been in," a naked Axel said as he pulled himself out of the pool. His spikey red hair looked odd when it was wet, and I focused my attention on it so it wouldn't drift to anything else.

"Can't it be anything besides _that_?" I begged.

"Unless you're hiding something else under those boxers, that's your last piece of clothing," Seifer laughed.

"Come on, Sora," Riku urged. Shakily, I stood up and walked over to the edge of the pool and slipped my boxers off, hearing chortles from behind my back. I stared down into the pool's amazingly blue water, and then jumped in, hearing applause as I resurfaced. I got out of the pool quickly, my hair dripping, not to mention every other part of my body.

"Can I have my clothes now?" I pleaded, shivering, and wrapping my arms around myself.

"Here. Catch!" Seifer yelled, and before I could stop him, he had thrown my clothes into the pool.

"What did you do that for?!" I hollered.

"Well, at least they won't smell like smoke anymore," Riku said, walking over to the pool and reaching over, grabbing my clothes out of the water and handing them to me. I snatched them from him and began dressing myself again.

"Yeah, they will. Now they'll just smell like smoke _and _chlorine," I muttered.

"Can I go home now?" I asked Riku after we had left the pool. Everyone had gotten dressed again after I had jumped in. Luckily, Axel still had dry clothes to get into. I, on the other hand, was now walking down the street soaking wet and freezing. Riku looked down at me sympathetically.

"Yeah, Sora, you can," Riku answered, and I had never heard him say anything better in my life.

"Guys, I'm going to walk Sora home, okay? I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said.

"Aww, come on, Riku. You're not going to let him cut out this early, are you?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah, I am. He's had a rough night, he's dripping wet, and he wants to go home," Riku explained. Although it was his fault that all this had happened, I respected him right then.

"Fine, whatever, man. We'll see you tomorrow," Tidus answered, dully.

"'Kay. See ya," Riku said, turning around and heading towards my house.

"Bye, Riku! Bye, Sora!" Roxas called out.

"Bye!" I called back, waving before running after Riku.

We were quiet for pretty much the whole walk back to my house. Finally, we made it home.

"Sora, listen, I really didn't intend for things to end the way they did. We'll have some better stuff to do tomorrow, okay?" he said, as we stood in front of my house.

"O-okay," I agreed, uncertainly.

"I promise."

"Okay..."

"Good-night," he told me, as I walked up to the front door. He began walking back down the road. My fingers were on the door handle, but something was telling me not to just let him walk away like that.

"Riku?!" I called out.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning back around.

"You have a good night too, okay?" I said.

"Okay. Thanks, Sora," he smiled. I smiled too, feeling good that I had said that to him, and then shook it away as I entered the house.

"Sora!" my mom shouted, enveloping me in a hug the second I shut the door behind me.

"I told you I would be late," I said, my voice muffled since I was being so tightly embraced. She let go after a minute, though.

"You're all wet," she stated.

"Yeah. We went swimming in Riku's pool," I told her.

"Riku has a pool?"

"Yeah, in his back yard."

"And why were you swimming in your clothes?" she asked.

"Well, that part wasn't intentional. But I'm fine, Mom," I assured her, smiling.

"A-alright."

"Well, I'm off to bed now," I said, starting for the stairs as quickly as I could.

"Hold it!" she yelled.

"...What?"

"Do you smell... smoke?" she asked, sniffing the air.

"Smoke? ...No," I answered.

"Oh, alright then. Good-night, Sora."

"Good-night, Mom."

That night, I got out of my wet clothes and into my pyjamas as fast as I could. I lay awake for a few minutes, rethinking the whole night. Being friends with Riku hadn't gotten off to a good start. But I soon closed my eyes and pulled my blankets tighter around me, wondering what would be in the day, or week, to come. It wasn't long before I was lost in a dream involving silver-haired boys and moonlight swims.

A/N : Sorry this took a little longer to get up than the other chapters. But still, it wasn't that long of a wait. So, a week of friendship with Riku has begun. Ooooh. Thanks to all reviewers and people who are reading this fanfiction. Please, stick with me. Oh, and review. Don't forget to review :3


	5. Chapter 5

A/N : Sorry for the long wait. But here it is, the next chapter!

I didn't wake up until around lunch time the next day. I sure wasn't used to the 'staying up late' lifestyle that Riku and his friends had. I quickly got a shower, got dressed into some casual clothes, and then headed downstairs to get something to eat. But I didn't expect to see the three girls talking to my mom in my kitchen when I got there.

"Kairi! You guys, what are you doing here?!" I shouted.

"You promised you would go shopping with us today," Kairi answered, simply. _Darn it. How am I supposed to explain this?_

"Eh... I'm sorry, I totally forgot," I told them, rubbing the back of my head.

"That's okay. We'll wait for you to get ready," the red-headed girl said.

"I-I can't go. I have other plans."

"What?! What other plans?!"

"Kairi, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" I asked her, not wanting my mom to hear what I was going to say. Kairi nodded and followed me out onto the step.

"What is it, Sora?" she asked, not seeming impressed.

"You know when you got me to go to the dance and see if Riku would ask me out if he thought I was a girl?"

"How could I forget something like that?"

"Well, h-he didn't ask me out on a date. But... he did ask me to be friends with him for a week," I told her.

"What? Why?"

"It's what I had to agree to if I didn't want him to tell anyone that I was wearing a dress."

"Yeah, _my _dress that you never gave back to me," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, it's still in the boys' locker room. Hehehe..."

"So, you're just going to hang out with the boys you hate for the entire week?"

"It's your fault that I have to."

"Whatever, Sora."

"Kairi, please don't tell my mom what the boys are like. I don't want her to worry," I begged.

"Hey, Sora!" I turned to see Riku and the rest of the group walking down the street towards us.

"Listen, Kai, I have to go. But, please, promise you won't tell her."

"F-fine. But, Sora, please tell Riku about me and the girls," she muttered, turning to go back into the house to get Selphie and Naminé. I, however, jumped down off the step and ran to the boys. _Sorry, Kai, but there's no way I can tell him about you guys. It would be too embarrassing, and things are embarrassing enough. _Riku patted me on the shoulder when I reached him.

"How're you doing today?" he asked.

"Pretty good, I guess," I answered, forcing a smile. As we walked down the road, Riku leaned down close to me and whispered in my ear.

"Don't worry. We're going to some better places today." An uncontrollable shiver shot down my spine at the feel of his warm breath on my skin.

"O-okay," I said, swallowing hard.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah..." I tried to make the heat diminish from my cheeks.

"Still thinking about your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?!"

"Yeah, that girl that you were talking to on your step."

"She's not my girlfriend!" I said, defiantly.

"Really?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, I don't have a girlfriend."

"Okay, then."

I was relieved when we made it to the soccer field. It was a much better place than two of the places we had visited the night before. Riku had stuck to his word.

"Who wants to play?" Riku questioned, tossing a soccer ball into the air and then bouncing it off his knee. Everyone except for Axel and I ran out onto the field.

"Aren't you going to play, Sora?" Riku asked, seeming disappointed that I hadn't jumped at the chance to join in the game.

"I'll just watch right now. I might play later, though," I told him.

"Okay," he smiled, running off with his friends onto the field. I took a seat on a bench that was nearby, and Axel sat down beside me.

"So, what do you think of Riku?" he asked. I hadn't been expecting the question, and tried my best to not seem shocked.

"Well, I think he's kind of a jerk," I said, bluntly, throwing aside the odd thoughts and feelings I had previously had about the silver-haired teen. Of course, I wasn't about to tell Axel, or anyone for that matter, about envisioning Riku when I was in the shower, or the tremble I had gotten from his breath.

"A jerk, huh? That seems kind of harsh, don't you think?" Axel asked.

"No. He was horrible to Pence, he said I have a feminine body, he made me go to a bar, and made me play strip poker in a pool that was closed!" I explained, leaving out the embarrassing things like when Riku said I looked cute in Kairi's dress.

"I think you're being a little too hard on him. Seifer, Rai, and Tidus are worse than Riku. And might I add that it was Seifer who suggested making Pence change in front of everyone."

"But... I-I just don't like Riku!"

"Okay, but I really think you should give him more of a chance. I think he's had it a lot worse than he lets on."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he's hiding something. He seems upset on the inside, but he doesn't say anything to anyone. And he really seems to want to be friends with you."

"What are you getting at?"

"Maybe you're the one he'll talk to," Axel finished. I wondered about that as I watched the silver-haired boy move around on the field so gracefully. Maybe he _was_ troubled. I didn't know. No one knew. But I still didn't feel like giving him the benefit of the doubt, especially since I was trying to convince myself at the moment that I didn't find Riku attractive in his red soccer jersey. Finally, I got up and joined in the soccer game too, making sure at all times that I didn't get too close to that darned boy I refused to like.

Monday came and I had to admit that the weekend wasn't that bad. We played three games of soccer, saw a movie at the theatre, went bowling, and ate out a couple of times. Something told me that these things were a little bit low-key for the guys, but I was content. Unfortunately, I had an awkward week ahead of me. I would have to eat lunch with Riku's gang, avoid Kairi and the girls so they wouldn't embarrass me, and hope that everyone else in the school wouldn't make a big deal out of my 'new friends'.

I headed for the locker room to meet up with the guys for lunch, but when I entered, I was enraged by what I saw. Raijin, Seifer, Tidus, and Riku were standing in a circle around Pence who was shirtless and looked like he was about to cry.

"Riku!!" I screamed, storming towards him.

"What?" he asked, seeming amused.

"You know what! Stop it, now!" I grabbed Pence's shirt and handed it to him. Pence took it and pulled it on quickly.

"Go on, Pence. I'll talk to them," I told him, gently. He left the locker room without another word, and without having to be told twice. I then turned to Riku and glared at him.

"What do you think you were doing?!" I demanded.

"It was Seifer's idea," Riku said.

"Was not. It was Rai's," Seifer objected.

"I don't care who it was! None of you should be doing this to Pence, or anyone for that matter! This isn't even because he cheered for me in the soccer game the other day, is it?" I asked.

"No, not really," Riku said, quietly.

"Yeah, I forgot what the reason was in the first place," Tidus spoke up.

"Then why are you doing this?"

"We just wanted to get back at him since you saved him the other day. Tidus said that we could do that this week since you're on our side and can't do anything about it," Seifer explained.

"You guys are pathetic!! And you think I can't do anything about it?! I'm not really even your friend! I'd rather hang out with a dirty old shoe than you guys!" I yelled. Riku grabbed my arm that I had been flailing around the whole time I had been ranting.

"Calm down, Sora," he said, gently. That voice made my heart beat faster and caused me to feel weak, but I couldn't let him get the better of me right now.

"Don't even start, Riku! Axel said to give you a chance, but I should have known better. You're just a bad person!!" The locker room then became silent.

"D-don't you ever hurt Pence again. If you do, I'll never be able to trust you," I told Riku, quietly.

"Fine. You heard him, guys," Riku said to the three other boys.

"What?" they yelled.

"Leave Pence alone," Riku told them, sternly. I was shocked at his words. Did he really want me to trust him that much?

"Fine," the others agreed, seeming disappointed and slightly scared of Riku.

"Good. Now let's go have lunch."

That afternoon in biology class, I just knew I had to get some stuff off my chest. And so, Hayner was the one to listen to me.

"Riku just makes me so mad!" I yelled, after I had explained what had happened in the locker room.

"I could tell Pence was upset when I saw him at lunch, but he wouldn't talk about it. Pence is self-concious about his weight, and those guys know it. I hate them all!" Hayner answered. He then proceeded to call them many vulgar names.

"But, what I don't understand is why I hate Riku the most. And he's not always the one who's in charge of the bad things that happen."

"Maybe you're just jealous because all of your friends like Riku," Hayner said. I knew he had a point, but I had a feeling that there was more behind it. But then again, it was annoying that Kairi, Selphie, and Naminé all liked a show-off even though I was the one with a good head on my shoulders.

"You may have a point," I told him.

"I mean, I have my own problems with jealousy too. That's most likely the reason why Axel and I- ...We just..."

"You liked Roxas, didn't you?"

"I- Why am I talking to you about this?!"

"It's okay. Roxas told me that you guys went out..." I said, awkwardly.

"He did?" Hayner asked.

"Yeah, he did." Hayner didn't say anything for a minute, and I had to break the silence.

"H-he misses you, you know?" I told him, quietly, staring down at the desk.

"...Why would he miss me?"

"Because you guys were good friends."

"I guess. But I told you, he has that red-head now, and I never want to see either of them again," he said, folding his arms.

"Hayner, he asked me if I thought you'd ever talk to him again. When I told him you'd probably come around, he said he hoped you would."

"H-he did?"

"Yeah. Come on, Hayner. You both miss each other, so why don't you do something about it?!"

"Sora, thanks," he said. Then he got up and moved to another seat. _I guess I went too far_, I thought, before focusing my attention back on the bio questions I was supposed to be answering.

After school that day, while I was waiting for Riku to walk home with me, Roxas came up to me.

"Hey, Roxas. What's up?" I asked.

"You talked to Hayner, didn't you?" he asked back.

"...Yeah. Why?"

"He came and talked to me today. He wants to hang out sometime. I figured it was because of you," he said.

"He did?! Well, I-I might've had something to do with it," I said, rubbing the back of my head like I sometimes did when I felt awkward.

"Thanks," he said, smiling.

"What?"

"Thanks. This never would have happened if it weren't for you."

"I dunno. I think it would have."

"Nah, Hayner's too stubborn to come back on his own. But, I really owe you one."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad it's going to work out. I mean, I didn't think he was actually going to talk to you. Today in class, he walked away from me. I thought I annoyed him too much," I told him.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, anyway, thanks again," Roxas smiled again.

"No problem," I smiled back.

"Sora!" Riku called out.

"I've gotta go. I'll probably see you later?"

"Yeah," Roxas agreed.

"'Kay. Bye!" I grinned before running off to catch up with Riku.

The week went by fairly quickly, and without too many mishaps with the guys. Riku had made sure that we only went to places that I liked from Friday night on. And before I knew it, it was the last day of my commitment. My job was done. I had saved Pence from the wrath of the senior year students, I had helped Roxas and Hayner mend their friendship, and I had pretty much completed my week as Riku's friend. It was Thursday, and Riku and I were the only ones hanging out that day. Rai, Tidus, and Seifer had a basketball tournement, Wakka and Axel had gone to watch the tournement, and Hayner and Roxas were gone skateboarding together.

Riku and I walked together in the park that night. The moon and stars lit up the sky, making Riku's silver hair shimmer again. We didn't say much to each other, because what was there to say? Finally, though, the older boy spoke.

"This is our last night together," he said, and I could tell there was sadness in his voice.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Are you really going to leave the group?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, I have to. Kairi and the girls are my real friends."

"But, didn't you have a good time with us too?"

"...Some of the time. But I don't fit in with you and your friends, Riku. Besides, I miss the girls," I told him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean I've been friends with them for a really long time."

"But, they made a fool of you," the older teen said.

"...So did you."

"Hehe. ...I guess so. But, Sora?"

"What?"

"...What can I do to make you stay?" he asked, his voice barely audible. I let out a sigh before answering.

"Nothing, Riku." He was clearly disappointed, and I hated myself for giving such an awful response in the same sentence as his beautiful name. _Wait a sec... Did I just think of his name as being 'beaufiul'?_

I shook the thoughts from my mind. Before I could make another move, or even realize what was happening, Riku had grabbed me and had me pinned with my back aganst a tree. His hands rested on the tree trunk just above my shoulders, and his head was down, his hair falling over his eyes.

"W-what are you doing, Riku?" I asked, feeling slightly frightened.

"I just don't want to see you go," he said. Now his voice sounded dark.

"I'll still be around, Riku. I just won't be hanging out with you." I suddenly noticed that I was saying his name more than usual, and might have even be getting pleasure out of it.

"But that's what I want. I want to be with you."

"Why me?"

"I don't know. I only know one thing. I _need _you, Sora." I tried to find something to say, but there wasn't time. Without a warning, Riku pressed his body up against mine, and it felt like my breath froze in my lungs, a contrast to my cheeks that were uncomfortably warm. I felt feverish, and almost light-headed, as if I might pass out from the contact. He was so close that I could feel his breath on my face again, and I quivered involuntarily. He looked up at me and I realized how well the moon and night sky made his aqua eyes stand out. Those eyes alone had rendered me speechless. I think he knew this.

"You're okay..." he whispered. He pressed up against me a bit harder, and I was thankful in that moment that he was taller than me. Otherwise, our crotches would have touched, and there was no doubt in my mind that I would have fainted if that had been the case. I inhaled with trouble, and attempted to find my voice.

"R-... riku..." I guess the sound of my whimper brought him back to his senses because he backed off immediately. He let go of the tree and backed away until there was at least a meter of space between us. I gave him a pleading look for him to explain, but he did nothing except give me a look that seemed to scream, '_what have I done?_', before turning and running from the park as fast as he could. And that's how our week of friendship ended, how we parted. Riku was running for his life, and I was leaning weakly against a tree, too shocked to follow.

A/N : ...Ehehehe... Hope you enjoyed it. :) I had a lot of fun writing this chapter... for no reason in particular. hee hee hee. anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed. Please, let me know what you think of this newest installment of 'Manly Influences'!!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N : Thank you, reviewers, who gave me positive feedback. It's always appreciated. Also, I should warn everyone that this story doesn't stay humor/romance forever. It also gets another genre which could be classified as... angst... maybe tragedy. But don't worry, no one dies. I just wanted to give this warning though. The two main genres will still be present througout the story, so please, try to stick with me through the whole thing. Anyway, here's the next chapter so enjoy :D

Exactly one month had passed since that night in the park with Riku. Although what had happened bothered me immensely, I decided to let it slide. Maybe he hadn't meant for it to seem the way it did. Maybe he was having confusing feelings like my own. Maybe he had even been intoxicated at the time. Whatever the case, I made myself forget about the event and keep on living. After all, it wasn't such a big deal since we scarcely saw each other anymore. We'd pass each other in the halls sometimes at school, and I still saw him in gym class on the rare occasion, but I hadn't really talked to him since that night, or any of the guys really. Riku seemed to miss a lot of school time lately, but I didn't spend my days thinking about him anymore. I had pushed all my thoughts of Riku far to the back of my mind. I went back to my old way of living; spending half of my time with the girls, and the other half eating, sleeping, and doing school work. Everything was back in order again. That is, until the sign-up sheet for the School Campout arrived. The School Campout was a trip that students could sign up for, and it took place once a year. In reality, it wasn't much of a campout since everyone stayed in cabins, but we did roast marshmallows around a fire, go swimming in the lake, and stuff like that. It went on for four days, and it was always a lot of fun. But in order to go, everyone first had to raise at least one hundred dollars to send to a charity or a good cause. A lot of people didn't go because of this, which I thought was pathetic. It wasn't really that hard to do something good for someone else. I guess some people just couldn't be bothered.

I made my way to the office, and found the sign-up sheet hanging on the wall. I took out a pen and scanned down the list. One name in particular stood out. _Riku?! What is Riku's name doing on the list? _I paused and stared at the page for a minute before deciding, _Maybe he really isn't as bad as I make him out to be. He could have some good in him. _I glanced at his name one last time before letting out a chuckle. _Nah. _I signed my name at the bottom of the sheet before heading to the cafeteria for lunch.

I had decided what cause the money I raised would go to before I had even made it to the cafeteria. Unfortunately, I must have gotten too wrapped up in my own thoughts because I walked right into another person and found myself lying on the ground beside them.

"Oww..." I muttered. I got up and brushed myself off, then outstretched a hand to the person I had hit.

"Sorry about tha-" My arm stopped abruptly when I realized that it was Riku that I had accidently knocked down.

"It's okay," he answered in a low voice, getting up without my help. He then grabbed his bag and handed me my own.

"Th-thanks..." I stuttered, finding it quite an awkward situation since we hadn't talked to each other since our last awkward situation in the park. I know I had told myself to forget about it, but it was much harder to do that when that boy with the stunning silver hair was standing right in front of me.

"So, are you going on the campout?" he asked.

"Y-yeah. I saw your name on the list too," I smiled, fakely.

"Yep. I'm going. Who are you giving your money to?"

"The food bank," I answered. "What about you?"

"Mine's going towards cancer research."

"O-oh. That's really good of you, Riku," I told him, feeling that what I was doing was inferior to him. But people at the food bank needed help too, so there really was no reason for me to feel bad.

"Yeah, well, I'll see you around, I guess," he said.

"I guess so." He nodded to me and then rushed past me. I wondered if he still remembered the night at the park as clearly as I did.

Gathering donations wasn't really that hard. I didn't get any money from Selphie or Kairi because they were saving up for new outfits for the next school dance. But Naminé gave me a bit and so did Pence, Olette, and a guy named Demyx. I didn't really know Demyx that well, but I had heard that he and Axel used to be friends. Then Axel joined Riku's group and Demyx seemed to kind of lose his mind after that. He _was_ sort of strange, but he didn't seem like a bad person. By the time I had gotten home, I had about 80 munny, and my mom gave me the rest.

I lay in bed that night, and much to my dismay, I found myself thinking about that stupid silver-haired god-like figure. Why was it that he seemed so perfect? And why was it that I, of all people, found him so beautiful? Everyone knew he was a good-looking guy, that part was fine. But what scared me was that I didn't think of him as just being good-looking. I was attracted to him. _No. I'm not attracted to him. I'm just attracted to his looks_, I thought to myself. But that didn't help much because I knew it was still wrong. I was a guy who was attracted to another guy. It was dead wrong. Especially since I had thought I liked girls for my whole life before I met him. Riku was the most intriguing person I had ever met, and I was horrified to come to the realization that I was curious about him. It scared me that I might want to know more about that handsome creature. _No, not handsome! He can't be handsome!! _My mind screamed at me so badly that it kind of hurt. I rolled over on my side and tried to block it all out, but it wouldn't work. I had to get that guy out of my head. That's all I needed to do, but it was near impossible. I wracked my brain, trying to find something to take my mind off him when suddenly, a new feeling hit me. _My heart... wants me to give him another chance... get to know him... My heart wants me to let him in. _I swallowed hard.

"That's the last thing I'm going to do. Pah. Let him in," I muttered out loud to myself. _My hormones are probably just going crazy right now. In a week or two, I'll have forgotten all about Riku. _But somehow I figured that it wouldn't turn out that way. And I also had a feeling that the battle going on in my heart right then was going to be a difficult fight to win.

Two very long and stressful weeks passed, and I finally found myself walking out of class after finishing my last test. I had already written three others in the last two days. It was Friday, the day before the campout. It was time to go home and start packing. I had convinced Kairi and Naminé to go to the campout, too. But in return, I had to go shopping with them for new bathing suits. Selphie, on the other hand, didn't raise enough money in time to go. But it was fine. At least I would have _some _friends with me.

"Hey, Sora!" someone called as I was making my way through the corridor. I turned around and saw Roxas running towards me.

"The list of room-mates is in the office," he said, once he had caught up with me.

"It is?" I asked.

"Yeah. Do you want to go with me and take a look?"

"Sure."

Minutes later, Roxas and I were in the office, regarding the room-mate list.

"I'm with Hayner! ...Axel's not going to be happy," Roxas stated, losing his enthusiasm when he said the last sentence.

"He's with Tidus according to this," I said, running my finger down the list and finding Axel's name.

"I guess he'll be okay then. Just jealous."

"Kairi and Naminé, Demyx and Pence..." I had to look twice before speaking again.

"Me and Riku??" I shouted.

"What?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no-" I mumbled, holding my head and spinning around.

"Sora, what's wrong?"

"No, not Riku."

"Sora?" Roxas asked, seeming concerned.

"Why did it have to be him?! This thing is definitely rigged!"

"Sora, just calm down for a sec. I promise you, Riku's not that bad," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"But, you don't understand. He-" but I shut my mouth quickly before letting the incident at the park slip from my mouth.

"He what?"

"Nothing."

"It's only for four days, anyway, Sora."

"Yeah," was all I could muster to say.

That night, I went shopping with Kairi and Naminé just like I promised. Of course, since they were girls, they liked to stop, stare at, and try on everything they saw.

"Okay, can we try to be fast here? I need to get a good sleep tonight since we'll probably be up late for the next few nights," I said to them, knowing darn well that the real reason was that I just didn't want to be seen here.

"Yeah, sure," Kairi answered, nonchalantly, paying more attention to the bathing suits on the rack than to me. I felt uneasy, and glanced around, making sure there was no one I knew around to see me. I hoped I wouldn't be caught standing in the girls' bathing suit section by anyone other than Selphie, since she already knew where I was going.

"I guess I'll try this one," said Naminé, holding up a white bathing suit and looking it over carefully.

"I'm going to try this one," Kairi smiled, showing me a pink and black striped bikini.

"Kairi..." I groaned.

"What?" she asked, seeming appauled that I had given her such a harsh tone.

"Don't think you're going to attract Riku by wearing that."

"What are you talking about? He'll love it," she said, twirling around with it.

"I seriously doubt that, Kai. You're not his type." Kairi gave me a dirty look and then turned back to Naminé.

"Let's go find who's in charge of the dressing room. There doesn't seem to be anyone working here," Namine said to the other girl.

"Okay. Sora, can you hold these for us? We'll be right back," Kairi smiled, shoving both her and Naminé's bathing suits into my arms.

"But-" I started to protest, but they were already walking away. I stood there, awkwardly, holding the two womens' bathing suits; one of them just happening to be a bikini. _What is it that makes these so appealing to guys? _I wondered, I, myself, finding nothing attractive about them at all. Suddenly, the curiosity got the better of me and I walked up to one of the mirrors that were hanging on the store walls. _Riku did say I have a feminine body,_ I thought to myself before lifting the pink bikini up against my body to see how it would look on me. As disappointing as it was to admit, the swimsuit looked like it might be a good fit on me, except I was too flat-chested for the top half. But my hips were definitely slender enough to fit into the bottom half.

"You gonna buy that or do you need to try it on first?" I turned around and hoped to the heavens above that the voice I'd heard hadn't been that of the person I dreaded ever having to see again. But of course, with my luck, Riku was smirking at me.

"Will you shut up, Riku?! What are _you _doing in the ladies' swimwear section?" I demanded.

"Looking for you," he replied.

"How did you know I would be here? Are you stalking me now?"

"Your friends told me where you were. You know, Kairi and Naminé?"

"Oh, yes. Them. And it just so happens, Riku, and you know this is true, that these two bathing suits that I'm holding right now belong to those two girls," I told him, defiantly.

"Yeah, I understand that you're holding their stuff for them, but I really don't believe they asked you to model in them too," he said, smirking still.

"I wasn't modelling!"

"Looking in the mirror while holding the suit out in front of you... Seems like you were checking yourself out in it, dude."

"A-and look who's talking! What did _you _come here for, Riku? To check me out too?!" I yelled.

"E-excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Sora, our stuff, please?" Kairi shouted, running towards me and taking the bathing suits from me. She and Naminé waited for the clerk to open up the dressing rooms for them and then they both entered.

"I'll see you tomorrow, anyway, Sora," Riku said, but by the time I had turned around to face him, he had already disappeared from sight.

"Riku! Come back! Why did you come looking for me? Riku?" I called, but he didn't answer. It didn't really matter what he had wanted me for. I had bigger problems on my hands. It was obvious that I was hopeless, I was feminine, and I needed help. I let out a sigh. I needed help with more than just my lack of masculinity. I needed to survive the School Campout.

A/N : Please, review :D


	7. Chapter 7

A/N : Thanks for the reviews. :D Remember, I said in the last chapter that this story wouldn't stay as happy and cheerful as it was in the first few chapters. But I promise that humor will still be present throughout this story.

Cabin number seven; that's where I was headed. Lucky number seven. I doubted that. As I approached the cabin, with my bag slung over my shoulder, I became more and more nervous for one reason alone; Riku was waiting for me inside. I stopped when I made it to my destination. The cabin was small and made of tan-colored wood. It had cute little green steps leading up to it, and the number _7 _was nailed onto the side. _Everything will be fine. It's only for four days. And remember, I came here to have a good time. I'm not going to let Riku ruin that. _After I had mentally prepared myself enough, I took in a deep breath and let it out again before climbing up the stairs. I gave a light knock on the door.

"C'mon in," Riku's voice answered from inside. I turned the doorknob and entered. I was greeted by the scent of pine. The cabin had a small kitchen with a fridge and sink, a tiny bathroom, a couch and a little table, and to my disappointment, only one bedroom. Riku was lying on the couch, and gave me a slight wave when I came in, but barely looked up at me. I let my bag drop to the floor.

"Hey, there," I said, smiling.

"Hey," Riku answered, dully, still not looking up.

Figuring it was probably my fault that he was acting this way, I gathered my courage and sat down on the couch beside him.

"Listen, Riku, I have to apologize for being so rude to you in the store last night. It wasn't fair of me, and I'm really sorry if I offended you or anything," I told him.

Riku finally made eye contact with me.

"I only wanted to tell you that we would be sharing a cabin. Anyway, I should be apologizing too, but... Are you sucking up to me?" he asked, curiously.

Realizing that this was my opportunity to take advantage of the situation, I decided to stir up his curiosity even more.

"Wh-why would I be doing that? I'm just apologizing," I replied.

Riku eyed me warily, apparently identifying the falseness in my voice.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Riku, I need your help."

"With what?"

"You know a while back when you said you'd be around if I ever wanted help getting rid of my feminineness?"

"Yes...?" he asked, smirking a bit.

"Well, are you still willing to help me?" I asked him.

"I wasn't serious about that. I mean, I didn't think you'd actually... I just-"

"Oh, please? Can you help me anyway? Give me some advice, tips, anything!" I begged, swinging my arms around.

"You're serious?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm desperate."

"Hehe. Okay," he smiled.

"Great!" I smiled back.

"Masculinity lessons are coming your way, Sora. I'm your 'manly influences' instructor."

"Excellent. When do we start?" I asked.

"Today," he responded, getting up from the couch. "We have four days to get you as manly as you can be. What made you decide to come for help all of a sudden anyway?"

"You saw what I did last night, Riku. As it stands now, I might as well just be a girl."

"You're not that bad. But, I'll give you my help, regardless."

"Okay, so what's the first lesson?" I asked, getting a bit excited.

"How about... your muscles? Let me see your arms."

I held out an arm to him and he grabbed it. To my surprise though, his grasp wasn't at all tight or hard. He was actually gripping my arm quite lightly, and he was very gentle as he started to roll up my sleeve. He paused for a second.

"Is it alright if I roll this up?" he asked.

"Sure," I answered, wondering why he would think it might not be okay. Once he had rolled up both of my sleeves, he studied my arms.

"Do you have any weights with you?" Riku asked.

"Oh, yes. I have some right here in my bag. I take them with me everywhere," I replied, sarcastically.

"Alright, alright. Do you have _anything _heavy with you?"

"I have some books."

"Nerd," he coughed.

"I heard that."

"Haha. Just go get those books." I did as I was told. I got the books out of my bag and took them to Riku.

"Good. Now, lift them. Start with one in each hand," the silver-haired teen instructed. I followed his orders and lifted the books high above my head.

"Well, this is easy," I smiled, feeling quite proud of myself.

"It's not easy when you have to keep lifting and lowering them."

"Do I have to do that?" I asked, worriedly.

"Yes. Twenty reps. Starting now!"

Lunch time soon came and I was starving from lifting those books. My arms _were _pretty puny, skinny, and weak. But, Riku promised that weight lifting would improve them, drastically. At noon, I hurried to the mess hall for dinner where I met up with Kairi and Naminé. We grabbed a table and started to eat our turkey sandwiches.

"How's your cabin, Sora?" Naminé asked.

"It's... small," I answered, still feeling a little bit uncomfortable about having to share a room with Riku.

"Yeah, ours is small too. But it's not that bad," Kairi stated, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Yeah, but you don't have to share with-" I paused when I saw the silver-haired figure heading our way, carrying his lunch tray.

"Act normal, you guys. Stay cool," I whispered, sharply to Kairi and Naminé. The two of them quickly gathered as much composure as they could, and tried to act as if he wasn't the hottest guy in our school. I attempted to swallow my panic when I realized that he was coming right to our table.

"Would it be alright if I sat here?" Riku asked us.

"S-sure," I replied, not believing that he chose to sit with me rather than his friends. Of course, Wakka, Raijin, and Seifer hadn't come to camp. But still, he could have had lunch with Tidus, Roxas, and Axel. Riku sat down beside me, across from the two girls.

"I-I'm Kairi," the red-haired girl smiled, holding out a hand to Riku. She obviously couldn't keep it together for long. Riku, however, didn't respond the way Kairi had most likely been expecting. He simply nodded and then began eating his lunch, not bothering to shake her hand. Kairi tucked her hair behind her ear and then continued to eat, seeming unimpressed with the boy's attitude. I tried not to laugh at Kairi's shocked expression.

"So, Riku, do you like camp so far?" Naminé asked, apparently trying to get rid of the awkwardness swirling in the air.

"It's okay," came Riku's short reply.

"Is everything alright, Riku?" I asked, starting to get a bit worried about him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did you have a fight with the other boys or something?"

"No, I just don't want to have lunch with them." Since he wasn't making eye contact with me when he spoke, I figured he didn't really want to discuss the situation. Quickly, I changed the subject.

"So, did you hear that there's a bonfire later tonight?"

"Ooh, yeah. Are you going to the bonfire, Riku?" Kairi asked, attempting for a second time to make friends with the older boy.

"Probably not," he answered.

"You're not much fun, are you?" Kairi mumbled.

"You just must not be feeling well. Right?" Naminé questioned.  
"Right, not feeling well," Riku replied, uneasily. It was obvious that he was hiding something, but I wasn't about to pry. And in reality, I didn't really care what was wrong with him. That's what I tried to convince myself, anyway.

After lunch, Riku and I walked back to our cabin together, and I got changed into my swimming trunks. When I came out of the bedroom after changing, Riku was lying on the couch with a scribbler in front of him and a pencil in hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Drawing," he answered. I looked down at the paper and saw an impressive drawing of the cabin with a tree beside it. Every detail was included. It seemed as if he must have studied the cabin for hours before drawing it.

"Wow, this is awesome! I didn't know you could draw," I marvelled.

"One of my secret hobbies. I've been taking art classes for years," Riku answered.

"Secret? Why would you keep it a secret?"

"Because I think the guys would make fun of me if they knew."

"Why? You're an amazing artist. And, wait a sec... Why would they make fun of _you_?! You're Riku!"

"They just would."

"They make fun of people in their own group?" I asked, unbelievingly.

"Yeah, all the time," the teen replied.

"Oh. Well, they're not very nice then."

"No. They're not."

"Well, anyway, are you going to come swimming?" I asked him.

"No, I think I'll just stay here and draw some more," he answered, touching his pencil to his paper.

"Aw, why won't you come?"

"I just don't want to," he responded, focusing on his drawing once again.

"Come on, Riku. It'll be fun."

"Nah, that's okay."

"Please?" I begged, not wanting him to be left behind in this state. I could tell there was really something bugging him.

"Please, Riku? For me?" I asked again. He looked up at my pleading face, and smiled.

"Tell you what. I'll come and watch."

"Yeah!"

The lake was buzzing with the sound of people. The sun was shining, it was warm, and everyone was having a good time.

"Whoa," I grinned, when I saw the sparkling water.

"I'm going in!" I shouted, dropping my towel and running toward the lake. I looked back at Riku who had picked up my towel and was smiling at me. I smiled back and then dipped my foot in the water. Man, it was cold.

"Hi, Sora!" Roxas said, swimming past me.

"Hey, Roxas," I answered.

"Hi, Sora," Axel called out too, swimming after Roxas. "Hey, Roxy. Just think of all the things we can do in the water," the red-head grinned, mishievously, raising his eyebrows. I tried to ignore him, and then continued into the water. I counted to three in my head, and then jumped in, ducking my whole body. When I resurfaced, I looked back up on the shore and nearly died of embarrassment when I saw Kairi and Naminé dressed in their new bathing suits. Kairi was standing with one hand on her hip, her sunglasses on top of her head. Of course, she was dressed in her pink and black bikini, and Naminé was dressed in her white swimsuit. I crossed my fingers and hoped that Riku wouldn't see them, and hoped even more that he hadn't told any of his friends about what I had done in the store. It got worse when Kairi walked purposely right past Riku, who was sitting at a picnic table by this time, and winked at him. I ducked down so that the water was above my nose. I didn't want anyone to see my horrified face. It was unfortunate that pretty much everyone at camp knew that Kairi was one of my best friends.

Kairi and Naminé got in the lake too after they had spent a while tanning by lying on their towels in the sun. I felt bad for Riku since he had come down to the beach just for my sake, and now he was just sitting by himself. Eventually, I got out of the water and went up to see him.

"You should come in. The water's cold at first, but it's really nice once you get used to it," I told him.

"No. That's alright," he answered, smiling slightly, probably to reassure me that he was okay.

"But, Riku-"

"It's okay, really. I'm fine just watching you."

"Wouldn't you like to cool off though? You must be awfully warm," I said. He was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, and I knew he must have been uncomfortable in the heat. Not to mention, his cheeks were pretty flushed.

"I'm really alright," he promised.

"Hey, Riku! What's wrong? You afraid you're going to pollute the water with your very essence if you get too close to Sora?!" Tidus hollered from the water. Riku looked as if he was about to throw up, or chuck something at Tidus. But he did neither. He simply averted his gaze to the ground.

"Be quiet, Tidus!" Roxas yelled back.

"You stay out of it, Roxas! Riku knows it's true," Tidus answered.

"Don't you dare talk back to Roxas!" Axel fumed.

"Why not?" Tidus questioned.

"Because I said so," Axel answered, through gritted teeth.

"Careful now, Axel. We wouldn't want you polluting the water either because of your pretty boy, Roxas, over there."

"You wanna go?!" Axel taunted, apparently ready to settle the matter.

"Okay, let's go!!" Tidus shouted. The two boys angrily made their way out of the water and glared at each other. People started gathering around and chanting,

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Tidus took a swing at Axel, but he managed to dodge it. Axel circled around Tidus, blocking himself whenever Tidus would try to attack again.

"Stop it, Axel! Don't fight!" Roxas called out, but it was no use.

"You hear that, Axel? Your boyfriend is telling you to back down. Aren't you going to listen?" Tidus jeered.

"No, because secretly, everyone here wants to see you get your ass kicked," Axel smirked. Tidus was so shocked by that comment that he was completely unprepared and vulnerable when Axel punched Tidus hard in the side of the face. Tidus cursed and attempted to get Axel back. But a camp chaperone then showed up, and the fight broke up immediately. After all, no one wanted to get sent home. I looked at Riku, and he nodded, letting me know that it was time to go.

I had gotten dried off, changed back into my clothes, and eaten supper. Riku had eaten at our table again. This time, though, the girls didn't say much. Maybe it was because of what happened at the beach, or maybe it was because Kairi was embarrassed about what she had done earlier. Either way, it didn't really matter to me.

That night, I pulled on my hoodie and was all ready to go out to the bonfire. I poked my head into the bedroom to see Riku lying on the bed that we would be sharing.

"Hey, Riku, are you coming outside for the bonfire?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so, Sora," he answered, not looking up.

"Riku, come on. Is this about what Tidus said today? He's just being an idiot. It's not worth it to worry about what he said."

"Thanks, but it's not about Tidus," he answered.

"Are you tired or sick or what?" I asked.

"I'm fine."

"Stop saying that. Come on, I know something's wrong," I said, walking over beside the bed, and placing a hand on his arm for comfort. Unexpectedly, Riku cried out in pain, and I pulled my hand away, quickly. Riku then put his own hand gently on his arm.

"Wh-what...?" I asked, nervously.

"It's nothing," he answered, regaining his cool demeanor again.

"Riku?"

"I said it's nothing."

"Riku, it's okay. You can talk to me," I told him, softly, sitting down on the bed beside him. He hesitated for a minute before answering.

"S-sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you ever think there might be a reason why I treat everyone so badly?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I questioned. Riku looked up at me for a second, then slowly and gently began rolling up his sleeve. My stomach turned at the horrific sight. Countless large, dark bruises covered his arm.

"R-riku..." I whispered. He proceeded to roll up his other sleeve, revealing another arm bruised just as badly, or maybe even worse, than the first.

"I think my hatred for my father turned into anger and malice towards people around me," the teen whispered back.

"Your father did this to you?!"

"Yes." It was hard for me to believe. My father had left our family when I was only young, but he had never fought with me or my mom. And he definitely never hurt us.

"I know it's not an excuse, but maybe it will help you understand why I do the things I do," Riku spoke again.

"Riku, I'm so sorry. I had no idea," I said, my voice still quiet and shaky.

"No one does. You're the only one who knows about this, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Sure, I won't tell anyone. But, what about your mother? Can't she do anything about this?"

"She's not around right now. She's gone away."

"Oh, well, there must be something you can do. Maybe you can stay at my house for a while or something," I suggested.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for trying to help. But I really don't think there's anything you can do," he said, rolling his sleeves down again.

"But-"

"Sora, the guys asked me why I wanted to be friends with you."

"I-I've been wondering about that for a while too. What was your motive for wanting to be my friend?"

"The truth is you're the only one I felt I could talk to for some reason. I don't know why, but I just felt that way about you," Riku explained, his silver hair falling in his eye.

"Do you still feel that way?" I asked.

"Of course. I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?"

"Yeah. So, the reason you didn't sit with the guys at lunch, and why you didn't go swimming today, and because you're not going to the bonfire is because-"

"Because I don't want anyone to find out," he finished.

"Riku, I'm sorry for being so insensitive. I really never thought that there might be a reason why you were always such a..."

"A jerk?" he asked.

"Well... yeah, I guess. But, I feel much different about you now. And you want to know something?"

"What?"

"Today really made me realize that I missed spending time with you," I told him.

"R-really?"

"Really."

"Sora, thanks for listening. I'm glad you were here," Riku said. I wasn't positive, but I thought I saw the sparkle of tears in his eyes.

"Anytime you need me, I'll be here. I promise," I smiled, and on impulse, I pulled the older teen into a hug. After a moment, he relaxed into it, and rested his head on my shoulder. The embrace didn't last long, and I don't know what came over me that made me do it, but after I let go of him, we were both smiling slightly.

We didn't go to the bonfire that night. The two of us got in bed after that, and we talked a bit more about whatever came to mind. Then we turned out the light, and I listened to Riku's breathing as it became smooth and deep, indicating that he had fallen asleep. The guilt that was eating at me right then was hardly bareable. Riku had treated me and other people unfairly in the past, but he had to deal with a problem that no one even knew about. He had to handle things alone, and I couldn't imagine how hard it must have been. And my guilt was strong because I had treated and judged him unfairly, without even thinking that things might be worse for him than they seemed. To everyone, it looked like Riku was lucky. He was the most popular guy in school, he was smart, he had good looks. But the scary thing was that no one knew what he had to deal with at home. And what was even scarier was that I was the only one in the world right then who could help him through it. Thinking of this boy beside me who was so misunderstood, I felt myself start to cry. But just a little.

A/N : I know, I know, typical. But this had to happen to poor Riku in order for them to become closer, and that's what everyone wants, right? Anyway, please don't kill me or flame me. Please, review.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N : Hi, everyone! I hope this chapter will make up for the sadness in the last one. I'm pretty sure it will.

Long, silver hair was sprawled across the pillow beside me when I awoke. I sat up in bed and stared down at the older boy. Riku looked so peaceful when he was asleep... so serene... so-... I made my thoughts come to a halt before my mind got carried away again. _I am _not _attracted to him_, I told myself once again as I got up. _I just feel bad for him. I want to help him. There's nothing wrong with that, right?_

I got showered and dressed and then looked back at Riku who was still in his slumber. _Should I wake him? _I wondered. But then I thought about the fact that maybe this was the only opportunity he had to get a good sleep. I didn't know what Riku's home was like, but if he was abused there, I doubted it would be a comfortable place to rest. I leaned over the side of the bed and stared down at the teen-ager before me. He looked like a prince that just walked out of a fairy tale. I shook my head violently. _I can't let myself become the princess. _With that, I tore my eyes away from Riku and rushed out of the cabin for breakfast.

Kairi and Naminé weren't at the mess hall when I got there. I figured they were still getting their beauty sleep. I sat down at a table by myself and began to eat my toast when Roxas came along, followed by Axel, naturally. They were both carrying their breakfast trays.

"Can we sit down?" Roxas asked me.

"Sure," I answered, smiling, and feeling grateful that I no longer had to seem like a loner. The two boys sat down across the table from me.

"What's up, Sora?" Axel asked, as he spread three different kinds of jam on his toast.

"Nothing much," I responded.

"Well, I had to spend the night with that idiot, Tidus. Can't believe he's my room-mate," the red-head muttered.

"Listen, Sora. I just want to tell you to be careful. I hear Tidus is pretty mad about what happened last night. I wouldn't doubt that he has still has something up his sleeve to get back at one of us. You might want to mention that to Riku, too," Roxas told me.

"Get back at us? You mean, Tidus might try to fight again?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it's possible," Roxas answered.

"I _did _give him a pretty good punch in the head," Axel smirked, seeming pleased with himself.

"But Tidus _did_ have a point. You know, what he said about you polluting the water?" Axel turned around swiftly to see Hayner standing there. The red-head playfully swung a fist at the other boy. Hayner grinned and then sat down on the other side of Roxas. I gave Roxas a confused look, and he smiled slightly. Hayner nodded at me in a greeting sort of manner, and I did the same.

"I didn't even get my breakfast yet," Hayner said. "Anyone want to go with me to get it?"

"I will. I need to get some more jam anyway," Axel answered, getting up. The two of them left the table and headed up to the front of the hall.

"They're... getting along?" I asked in disbelief.

"More or less," Roxas answered, glancing up at them.

"Weird."

"Well, I think they're trying to get along for my sake. I told them to."

"I see. That's good then, I guess," I smiled.

"Oh, and Hayner and Olette broke up."

"Really?" I asked, not being overly surprised by the news.

"Yeah. So, are you going to take part in the scavenger hunt?" Roxas asked.

"Scavenger hunt?"

"Yeah. It's this morning. Right after breakfast, I think."

"Oh, I'd better go wake Riku. I wouldn't want him to miss it," I said, getting to my feet.

"Okay, I'll see you later, then?" Roxas asked.

"For sure."

When I returned to the cabin, Riku was lying awake in bed. His sleeves were rolled down, covering his arms, but I couldn't shake the image of the bruises that lay underneath.

"Oh, you're up," I stated.

"Yeah," he answered, quite emotionlessly.

"What's up?" I asked. "Why didn't you come to the hall for breakfast?"

"I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"I can trust you, right, Sora?" he asked, seriously, looking up at me.

"Of course."

"You're not going to tell anyone about what you saw last night, right?"

"No, I promise I won't," I said, sitting down on the bed beside him.

"Thanks. I-I told the guys to never come to my house. I didn't tell them the real reason why, but I just don't want them to ever see... that."

"I understand. But what _did_ you tell them instead?"

"I said that my parents just didn't like having company."

"Oh..."

"Hey, Sora, don't you ever think of coming to my house either. Even if you don't see me for a while, or if I'm not in school..." he said.

"Riku-"

"Even if you're worried about me... What am I saying? You wouldn't be worried about me."

"That's not true! I care about you," I blurted out.

"You do?"

"Of course, I do."

"Would you consider us friends? Real friends this time?" he asked. I thought about it for a minute. He had been rotten to me that day in the locker room, but it was only because of Pence. Making Pence change hadn't even been Riku's idea. Riku had dragged me into a week of friendship, but that had been my, as well as the girls', fault really. In truth, it was starting to look like the silver-haired boy with the bad-boy appearance really wasn't that bad at all. Well, maybe just not _as _bad as I had originally thought. Maybe he was just a boy who was misunderstood and had a messed up life. Perhaps all he needed was some help; a friend.

"Friends...? Yeah, I guess we're friends," I smiled.

"Yeah," he smiled back. He got out of bed, stretched out his arms, and yawned.

"There's a scavenger hunt this morning. Roxas was wondering if we're going to take part in it," I said.

"Scavenger hunt? Sure," he answered.

"Okay, you should get dressed and get something to eat. It'll probably be starting soon."

"Alright. What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"I'll go sign us up for the hunt."

"Okay, I'll meet you in the mess hall when I'm ready."

"Deal."

The scavenger hunt turned out to be a lot of fun. Me, Riku, Roxas, Hayner, and Axel were all on a team against Tidus, Kairi, Naminé, Pence, and Demyx. Our team won, of course, but that wasn't why it was so fun. It was because Hayner and Axel were getting along really well, and Riku seemed to be in a really good mood. He was laughing and smiling along with the rest of us, and I was glad because I hadn't really seen him smile that much before. I learned that afternoon that Riku, as well as the other three boys, could be truly nice and fun people to be around.

The five of us had lunch and supper together that day too. I found that Axel seemed to think that winning the scavenger hunt meant winning bragging rights. He was only kidding around, though, when he bragged about being the best team in camp. Hayner had a good sense of humour too. He fit right in with the rest of the boys. Roxas looked happier at lunch than I'd seen him in a while. It made me realize how great it was to have good friends, and how happy you could truly be in just an ordinary day with ordinary people.

Riku and I returned to the cabin after supper, and it seemed like the mood instantly changed when we left the others. It wasn't a sad feeling that took over, it was merely different, possibly even a little bit tense.

"Are you ready for lesson number two?" Riku asked.

"I guess so. Wh-what's number two?" I questioned, worriedly, when I saw him start pulling down all the blinds in the cabin.

"It's very important that you become comfortable and familiar with being the man in a relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"In other words... Being on top, for a start," he said, pulling down the last blind.

"On top... Y-you don't mean-?!" I panicked, bad visions of me and Riku rushing to mind.

"No, you're not going to have to- whatever you want to call it-... Neither of us is going to have to 'do that' to each other." Riku's cheeks became a little bit flushed as he spoke.

"O-okay. Good," I answered, swallowing hard.

"Alright. Whatever happens... uh... just don't try to accuse me of sexual assault or something. After all, you agreed to this," Riku stuttered. This was the first time that I had ever seen him extremely on edge. He seemed kind of jumpy which made me nervous as well. _What does he mean 'sexual assault'? What are we going to do...? _I started to wonder if we should have just stayed at the hall with the other boys.

"Riku, are you sure this is important?" I asked.

"Extremely. You did want to become more manly when you 'signed yourself up' for lessons, didn't you?"

"...Yes."

"Then, yes, it's important," he said, his breathing shakier than it had been before. He then walked over to the couch and lay down on his back.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I-I guess so."

"Alright. Come here and lay on me."

"W-what?!"

"Lay on me," Riku repeated. I swallowed again, and nearly choked on my own saliva. I stood there, meters away from the couch, just watching the teen-ager.

"Do I have to take your hand and lead you over here?" he asked, becoming more and more flustered, himself. I shook my head briefly and then took some unsteady steps towards him. I stopped when I was right in front of the couch.

"Why do I have to practice this on an actual person? And a guy, at that? Not to mention, I barely even know you!"

"You said we were friends a little while ago! J-just pretend it's not awkward," Riku ordered, putting emphasis on each word in the last sentence.

"That's not easy to do," I muttered, as I closed my eyes and forced myself to climb onto the couch, onto Riku. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on top of the older boy, my face way closer to his than I wanted it to be. _I told him we were friends. Not 'boyfriends'!_

"Not awkward, right?" he said, giving me an uneasy smile.

"R-right. What do I do now?" I asked, just wanting to get this over with.

"That's up to you," he answered, his cheeks extremely flushed now.

"I can't do this!" I sat up on the couch and turned my head away from Riku, unable to look at him anymore. Part of me was finding the situation utterly uncomfortable, embarrassing, and wrong. And yet, another part of me liked being this close, having this contact.

"Why not?" he asked, and suddenly I felt his hand on my face, making me look back at him. His touch made me shiver involuntarily. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to hold my feelings back much longer. I had strong feelings for Riku that I had been denying for a while, and those feelings were fighting against me to get loose. Riku's incredible aqua eyes drew me in and I relaxed. He then lay down again.

"Just try it again. It's okay," he said, softly. I nodded, and lay my body down on top of his once again. I started to wonder whether I was doing this for the sake of being more manly, or for the sake of getting this close to Riku again. Whatever the case, it seemed like I was no longer in control of my own self. My power over my feelings wasn't strong enough anymore. I think it was his eyes. His eyes made me relax and feel like everything was right, even though everything was so wrong. So very wrong. I lay my head down on his chest and let out a light sigh. I closed my eyes.

"That's all?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you're doing this all wrong. You can't be cuddling your head into me when you're supposed to be the man." In only a matter of seconds, I felt myself being flipped, and found myself lying with my own back on the couch. I looked up to see Riku on top of me. His chest and stomach pressed against me as he breathed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice becoming weaker.

"You still want these 'manly lessons', right?"

"Yes..."

"Then I'm going to show you what you do when you're on top," he whispered in my ear. I shivered again as he quickly shoved a hand underneath my shirt and began stroking my stomach. I was tense, and my breathing was uneven, but my mouth couldn't form any words to tell the boy to stop.

"Let me ask you something, Sora. Are you straight?" Riku asked, continuing to caress my skin.

"I-I thought I was... until I met you," I stuttered.

"So, you're gay?"

"No. No, I'm not. You're the _only _boy I like," I told him.

"That's what I wanted to hear," I just barely heard him say. I fidgeted underneath him, something I regretted doing. My movement caused our private areas to make contact, and my face suddenly felt like it was one hundred degrees. I figured my cheeks were as red as Axel's hair. I felt myself start to harden and tingle.

"R-riku, you know what Tidus said about you polluting the water with your very essence if you got too close to me?" I questioned, uncomfortably.

"Y-yeah?"

"Was that true?"

"I don't know. Why?" he asked.

"B-because, I think he was accusing the wrong person..."

"What do you mean...?"

I gave him a weak, naive smile and he raised his eyebrows at me. He then raised his body off me somewhat, glanced down, and smirked.

"Oh..." he said.

"Can I get up now?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable with the pressure of his body still partly on top of me, and a seeping feeling in my pants.

"Yeah, you should go get cleaned up."

I got in the shower and tried to cleanse myself not only of my own discharge, but also that feeling I had for Riku. I couldn't love him. What was the point of trying to be manly when I was attracted to another guy? I couldn't fall for him, not when he was counting on me to be there for him as a friend. I didn't want to talk to him about what had just happened, and I sure didn't want to talk to him about how I felt. I couldn't let on. I _wouldn't_ let on. I got out of the shower and dried myself off. _Luckily, there's a bonfire tonight so we can just go to that and hang out with Roxas and the others. That way, no awkward conversations can come up._

"H-hey, Riku?" I asked, nervously, as I went into the bedroom after getting dressed.

"Yeah?" he answered, looking up from his drawing book. I gulped and tried not to think about how beautiful he was. His dark blue sweater made the color of his eyes stand out even more than they usually did.

"I-... uh..."

"Don't worry, okay? We'll just pretend it never happened," he said, as if reading my thoughts.

"O-okay. Thanks," I answered, feeling relieved.

"So, do you want to go out to the bonfire?" I asked.

"Sure," he replied, getting up.

"I'll meet you outside in a second, okay? I just need to put a warmer sweater on," I said.

"Okay. See you soon," Riku answered, leaving the cabin.

It didn't take me long to change my shirt, but before I even got to the door of the cabin, I could hear the sound of shouting outside.

"Leave him alone!" Roxas' voice called out.

"No! Axel should have thought of the concequences before he punched me!" another voice retorted, obviously being the voice of Tidus. Quickly, I hurried out the door of the cabin to see, not Axel in trouble, but Riku. Axel, Hayner, and Roxas were all standing in a circle, not far from our cabin, and Tidus had Riku by the back of his shirt. I ran to Roxas' side and glared at Tidus.

"Let him go before I give you a black eye to match the side of your face!" Axel snarled.

"I know you wouldn't do that, Axel. You'd get sent home from camp," Tidus smirked. Axel gave the blonde a look of death, which indicated that Tidus had a point. The blonde smiled evilly and then punched Riku in the stomach. I gasped and wished that I could do something. I think everyone standing around that circle was wishing the same thing, but none of us could stand up to Tidus.

"Why are you doing this?!" Hayner hollered.

"For one, it's revenge because of what Axel did to me," Tidus said.

"You were the one that started the fight!" Roxas shouted back. Tidus ignored Roxas' comment, and then continued.

"And secondly, it's because Riku's a traitor."

"What are you talking about?" Axel demanded.

"Riku seems to care a lot less about his real friends, and a lot more about... You!" Tidus said, glaring and pointing a finger at me. My expression turned into that of shock. Riku looked up at me, weakly, but his face was telling me, _This isn't your fault_.

"Who cares that he spends time with Sora?! It's probably because he wanted a real friend, and more than anything he was sick and tired of hanging out with an idiot like you!!" Axel fumed. Tidus then punched Riku hard in the arm, and I flinched just as much as Riku did. I could almost feel how badly the impact would hurt on top of his already bruised skin.

"Stop it, Tidus!!" I screamed. Everything then became deathly silent, and everyone was looking at me in disbelief.

"...What did you say?" Tidus asked, shoving Riku away from him, and walking towards me.

"I said stop. I hope you enjoyed your last day at camp, because I'm letting the chaperones know what you've done. But first, I need to tend to my friend," I declared. I pushed my way past Tidus and put my arm around the silver-haired teen. The blonde didn't even try to stop me, I think it was because he was in too much shock.

"C'mon, Riku," I said, gently. He wore an expression of fear, amazement, and uncertainty. After a minute though, he nodded and smiled ever so slightly. And with that, we walked back to our cabin, leaving the other four boys to marvel at what I had done. I don't know where that power or courage came from all of a sudden. I only know one thing. If someone I care about is in danger, I won't ever be one to stand and watch.

A/N : Thanks to reviewers and readers. Keep the reviews comin'. :D


	9. Chapter 9

A/N : Enjoy. Oh, and I had some great feedback from the last chapter. I hope this one lives up to everyone's expectations too. Let me know :D

That night, after I had put some ice on Riku's arm to prevent it from swelling, and told the chaperones about the fight with Tidus, Riku and I lay in bed quietly. The air seemed to be swirling with so many mixed emotions that it was beginning to become unbareable. Today, in itself, had been confusing enough as far as the two of us went. One minute we were just room-mates, next minute we were friends, the minute after that we were more like a couple. Now I didn't know what to think. I guess Riku was wondering the same thing, because he rolled onto his back and finally broke the silence.

"Sora, why did you do that? Why did you save me?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"Because you're my friend," I answered.

"Friends, huh?"

"Yeah. That's what real friends do. They stand up for each other." Riku paused after I made that comment.

"Sora, I think we need to get something out in the open right now," he said.

"What's that?" I asked, uneasily, feeling almost certain that I knew what this was about.

"Please, can we just be honest with each other when we talk about this?"

"O-okay..."

"I know we said we wouldn't talk about this, but... what did you mean when you said I was the only boy you liked?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"_Did you mean what you said earlier_!?" the teen demanded. He seemed almost desperate for a reply.

"I g-guess so," I stuttered, turning red. "B-but, what about what _you _said? You said that's what you wanted to hear!"

"You heard that?" he questioned. Now it was his turn to become flustered.

"Yes, I heard you say that." Riku paused again and then rolled over so that he was facing me, but he didn't look me in the eye.

"Listen, Sora, here's how it is. I always wanted a friend, someone who would listen to me and treat me like I meant something. I used to see you in school and I would always wonder how you could be so nice even when everyone around you was so mean. I want to be able to talk to someone. I want to feel like someone cares for me. When I'm around you, I kind of feel that way," the boy explained. I glanced over at him.

"W-what are you trying to say?" I asked.

"I like you... a lot... as strange as that may seem," he said, his voice getting quieter as he went along. I nearly choked. _W-what? WHAT? RIKU likes ME?? The hot guy that all the girls are after... HE LIKES ME?!_

"P-please, say something," he whispered. I swallowed and then felt my confession rushing forward.

"Well, I don't think it's much of a secret that I... have feelings for you, too, Riku."

"Yeah, feelings in your pants..." he mumbled.

"Sh-shut up!" I shouted, blushing violently. Riku smirked for a minute, and then returned to being serious.

"Sora, are you telling the truth, though? You really like me?" he asked.

"Y-yes."

"Then why didn't you tell me before?!"

"I-I didn't want to love you. ...I was scared," I whispered.

"But, what about now? Sora, I want to be with you. Always. You make me feel something that I've never felt before."

"But, I-"

"Please, Sora? Would you... Would you let me love you, and love me and return...?" He had that desperate look on his face again, and seemed almost tearful. I tried to smother my own sobs and tears as I tried to find the words to break his heart as painlessly as possible.

"I-I think I'm still afraid to love you, Riku," I whispered again, my breath coming in short, shaky inhales.

"So, you-?"

"I can't love you... Not yet," I told him. His eyelids drooped down, displaying his sadness. I turned off the lamp in the room, knowing that I couldn't look at his disappointed face any longer. And besides, it was time to get some sleep. I snuggled down into the blankets, being careful not to accidently hit Riku's sore arm. I got settled and listened to the rain pounding outside, realizing that the bonfire must have ended early, and then suddenly became uneasy from the silence that had formed between myself and the older boy.

"That doesn't mean I'll stop loving you," Riku breathed. My stomach turned from the guilt, and also because I felt a little bit scared because of what he had said. I wasn't ready for a relationship with him. I was barely even ready to admit I liked him. But I had no more time to think about that because a moment later, his arm made its way across my stomach and wrapped around me. I knew I could tell him to stop, but I didn't want to. Even though my mind was against the fact that I liked Riku, my heart wasn't, and I let myself remain calm. After a minute, he pulled his arm away rapidly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Not right after you told me... you can't love me," he said, quietly.

"Uh, i-it's okay," I answered, but he didn't move again. _Maybe I should have just stopped him on my own._

Riku and I both lay silently for a short while, until I heard a low rumbling sound coming from outside the cabin.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, anxiously.

"Yeah. Sounds like thunder," Riku answered, calmly.

"Thunder?!" I panicked. The rumbling sounded again, and without inclination, my body flew up against Riku.

"W-what's wrong?" he asked, seeming rather on edge because of my sudden lunge for him.

"I don't like thunder..." I whispered, weakly, my fingers grabbing the front of his shirt for comfort.

"Don't like it?" he questioned. The thunder roared another time, and I cuddled in closer to the boy.

"You okay?" he asked.

"N-no," I whimpered. I felt Riku's strong arms wrap around me once again, and pull me in close to him.

"Seems more like you're afraid of it than just not liking it," he said.

"How did you ever guess?" I sniffled, trying not to cry. I hated thunder a lot, but I hated looking pathetic in front of such an amazing person even more. After countless minutes, the weather seemed to calm down a bit, and Riku let go of me.

"W-wait," I spoke up, my voice quivering.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't... don't let go," I whispered. I knew he wasn't expecting those words because he hesitated before letting his arms travel around my body and hold me again. I could still hear the thunder in the distance, but I felt safe; safer now than I ever had before. Surprising even myself, I felt my hand start searching for his. He reached up and we linked our fingers together.

"I-I wish I was more comfortable in my body like you are..." I breathed, embarrassedly.

"Don't worry about it," the boy answered. I sighed happily, and I hoped that Riku wouldn't think that I was just toying with his heart; pretending that I wanted him, and then was going to let him down. That's not what I was trying to do. Because in that moment, I wanted him near me more than ever. And I was able to fall asleep with my fingers locked with Riku's, unafraid of the storm outside, and even unafraid of my fondness for this mysterious boy.

The next morning, I walked with Riku to the mess hall, where we met up with Roxas, Hayner, Axel, and Demyx.

"Guys, this is Demyx. Demyx, this is Riku and Sora," Axel said, as Riku and I sat down across the table from them.

"Hey, there," Demyx greeted, giving a quick wave.

"Hi," Riku replied.

"Hello," I answered.

"Demyx is my new room-mate since that moron, also known as Tidus, got sent home," Axel announced.

"Thanks to you, Sora. We all owe you one," Roxas smiled.

"Hehe... Well, I was just doing what I thought was right," I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"So, what happened to Pence? I thought _he_ was your room-mate," Hayner said to Demyx.

"He went home sick. I think he's getting the flu," Demyx answered.

"Oh, that's too bad," I said.

"Hope he's okay," Roxas spoke up.

"So, are there any activities planned for today?" Riku asked, eating a spoonful of cereal.

"Unfortunately, no. They all got cancelled because of the rain," Axel grumbled.

"Yeah, there was supposed to be a tug-of-war game. Guys against girls. Also, an obstacle course, a volley-ball game, and we were supposed to be playing spotlight tag tonight," Demyx explained.

"Well, maybe it'll stop raining by night-time so we'll at least get to play spotlight tag," Riku said.

"The weather doesn't seem to be showing any sign of letting up anytime soon," Hayner sighed.

"Even if it did stop raining, the grass would probably be too wet to play," I reminded them.

"True," Roxas agreed.

"What are we going to do, then?" Demyx asked.

"Well, we could finish breakfast, go back to our cabins for a while, then meet back here at lunchtime and see if the weather has changed any. If not, we could always just play a board-game or something here in the mess hall," Axel suggested.

"Sounds good," the rest of us agreed.

"Sora!" a high-pitched voice reverberated through the building. I looked to my left to see Kairi, being followed by Naminé, pushing her way through a crowd of hungry people to get to our table. Axel sniggered. _Oh, man..._ I thought, letting my head drop down. The red-haired girl, clad in her usual pink dress, made it to the table and grinned at all the boys. When she had finished smiling at every one of them individually, she turned to me, and I could tell that Axel and Demyx were nearly dying from trying so hard not to laugh.

"Sora, I finally found you," Kairi beamed.

"Y-yeah... Hi, Kairi," I greeted her, awkwardly.

"Are you going to come and hang out with Naminé and I today? We've barely seen you the whole time we've been at camp," she complained.

"Yeah, I know, but I can't hang out with you. I already made plans with the guys," I told her.

"I told you he wouldn't come," Naminé whispered to the other girl.

"But, Sora, it's not very nice of you to abandon your girlfriend," Kairi stated, placing her hands on her hips.

"K-kairi! Since when are you my girlfriend?! Y-you're not my_ girlfriend_!" I yelled. I grabbed Riku's hand under the table, to reassure him that I was not with Kairi.

"Besides, I thought you were head over heels for-" I paused.

"Riku?" Naminé asked.

"N-no... Y-yeah... Uh..." Kairi stuttered. Riku eyed her and raised one eyebrow. Axel burst out laughing, and Demyx had his head down to hide the huge grin that was on his face. Hayner and Roxas exchanged glances. I don't think anyone at that table knew what to do to help the situation. Not even me.

"Um, Kairi, I can't spend the day with you, okay?" I asked.

"But-" she tried to protest.

"Please, Kairi. Just understand."

"F-fine..."

"Come on, Kairi," Naminé said, leading the other girl away from our table. I let go of Riku's hand and then put my head down on the table. I could feel that I was blushing.

"It's okay if she's your girlfriend, Sora," Hayner reassured me, probably trying to cheer me up.

"I know it would be okay. But, she seriously isn't my girlfriend," I answered.

"Well, that's good. Because that would be really unfortunate," Axel laughed.

"Yeah. It would," Riku whispered.

Riku and I walked back to our cabin together after breakfast. I was so frustrated and confused that it was starting to drive me crazy. I liked Riku. I maybe even loved Riku, but I couldn't just let my guard down and find myself drooling all over him. And more than anything, I wasn't ready for a relationship with him. I had told myself the same thing the night before, yet I found myself grabbing his hand at breakfast. I had to get myself under control. And so, when he asked about the next 'manly lesson' that day, I had to make things clear.

"Riku, I know things have been kind of crazy between us lately. So, just to keep things _simple and clean_ so we don't go confusing ourselves anymore, let's go on with lesson three just as friends, okay?" I asked.

"Okay, I guess so... Are you ready, then?" he questioned.

"Sure."

"Alright. Let's go." Riku got up from the couch, and left the living room. I followed him, and he led me into the bathroom.

"Riku, why are we in here?" I questioned.

"Lesson three," he said, closing the door behind us and locking it.

"W-what is it?"

"To become more comfortable with your body. Just like you wanted."

"And, how are we going to do that?"

"Sora, don't freak out, okay?" he asked. I nodded.

"The shower," Riku stated.

"What?!" I shouted.

"The shower," he repeated, calmly. "I told you not to freak out."

"Y-you want me to t-take a shower with you just for the s-sake of being-" I stopped abruptly as Riku removed his shirt, allowing my eyes to roam freely over that torso that I had been denied of seeing since our night at the pool.

"-manly..." I finished, dumbly. Unfortunately, my attention didn't stay on Riku's shirtlessness for long, for his bruised arms distracted me.

"Are you going to get undressed or what?" he asked, turning around to turn on the shower. But I was distracted again, this time by the sight of even more bruises covering his back.

"R-riku!" I panicked.

"What? My back? It's that bad, huh?" he asked, seeming slightly surprised.

"You didn't know?!"

"I could feel it alright, but I was too afraid to look in the mirror to see it," he said, smiling half-heartedly. That smile tore me apart because I couldn't imagine the pain he had to go through on the inside and the outside.

"Don't worry about it, okay, bud?" he asked, upon seeing the sad expression that had taken over my face.

"Let's just get back to the lesson," Riku suggested. I nodded, but I didn't really want to have to undress in front of him. I wasn't even sure if I wanted these masculinity lessons anymore. I knew now why Riku had pressed up against me in the park, why he had wanted us to be friends, and why he wanted me to be so close to him. I wasn't just afraid to love Riku because of the past feelings of resent I'd had for him, or because of what other people would think if they found out that we liked each other, or even because I would be surrendering to the rumours that said I wasn't straight. I was also flipping back and forth between feeling afraid of Riku, himself, for he could make me do things that I didn't usually do. He made me feel so helpless when I tried to fight against my emotions. He could make me melt under his gaze, regardless of how hard I tried to resist it. He could sometimes render me speechless. He had even made me wet... His name now seemed to roll off my tongue as frequently as the word 'the'. Riku had full control of my emotions, whereas I had none. But what made me more afraid than anything was that part of my mind that kept saying, _'you like this'_. I didn't want to be like all the other boys who thought that sexual things were pretty much what love was all about. I didn't think like that, but some part of me wanted me to get in that shower. And that's the part that controlled me to do so. Without another thought, I stripped off my shirt and Riku stared at me, curiously.

"You're actually going for it?" he asked.

"Yeah. B-but, remember, this is nothing more than another lesson," I told him.

"Oh. Right," he smirked. Riku undid his belt and unzipped the zipper on his pants. I gulped so loudly that he probably heard me. He then slipped his pants and boxers down, and stepped out of them so sexily that I nearly died right there on the spot. His bruises had now completely been forgotten about. I was staring at a quite naked Riku, and my eyes weren't leaving the sight in a hurry. His chest, his legs, his-... Everything was beautiful, and I was embarrassed that my body wouldn't be nearly as appealing to his eyes as his body was to mine. Not to mention, he was much more muscular, and his body had matured much more than mine. I was in awe, I was dumbstruck, I was in love. This must have been clear to Riku for he smirked and then winked at me before saying,

"Come on." He stepped into the shower, and I shook my head and tried to gain some composure before ridding myself of the rest of my clothing. Then, with one last deep inhale, I pulled back the curtain and stepped into the shower with Riku. The shower was kind of cramped, which forced us to be close to each other to occupy that small amount of space. I didn't even think it was possible, but Riku looked even more beautiful then than I'd ever seen him before. Beads of water sparkled in his wet silver hair, dripped down onto his shoulders, and ran down his torso and back. My eyes tried desperately to follow those droplets down the front of Riku's body, but I kept stopping them before they saw too much. I didn't want to be staring, and I sure didn't want my eyes to get stuck somewhere they shouldn't be. Warm water sprayed over my body as well, and I noticed that Riku was watching me just as much as I was watching him. I forced myself to look into his eyes. Stupid idea. His eyes were beautiful too.

"S-so, what do we do now?" I asked, uneasily.

"You have to act like you're completely happy with your body," Riku answered.

"B-but, I can't! Look at what I'm up against!" I blurted out, instantly wishing I hadn't. I blushed.

"I'm not that great..." the older teen said.

"Yeah, you are... But, my body is pathetic!"

"It is not."

"Is too."

"Pretend your body is the hottest thing ever," he instructed.

"I _can't_ do that!! My body is not even close to being hot!!"

"I think it is. ...I think it's pretty damn sexy," he smirked.

"RIKU!!" I hollered. I turned away from him and pulled the curtain back, ready to get back out. I'd had enough. I was having a hard enough time already trying not to love him, and he was only making it worse. Riku grabbed my arm before I could step out.

"Sora, please, just wait. I'm sorry for being an idiot again. I forgot the conditions of this lesson..."

"...Just friends," I stated.

"Yeah. Just friends," he repeated. I pulled the curtain closed again and then looked back up at him.

"What do I do then?" I asked.

"Okay... Maybe you just need to know what it would be like for someone to want your body."

"For someone to _want my body_?!" I demanded, becoming hysterical.

"Yeah."

"I can't do this..." I said quietly, my voice sounding extremely breathy.

"We're just friends, okay? It's alright. Just pretend it's not awkward."

"...You know it never works when you say that, Riku?"

"I know."

"W-what are you going to do?" I questioned, worriedly.

"Nothing worse than yesterday."

"But, yesterday was bad!"

"Just follow my motions, okay? Practice on me." I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I wanted to run. Riku raised a hand, and I raised a hand as well. He then placed his hand on my shoulder and then, slowly and gently, let it slide down the front of my chest. I uncomfortably did the same to him. The water pounding down on us made fresh droplets of water run down Riku's chest, making my heart beat faster and harder. Riku's hand then traveled down my stomach, making me tremble, and then around to my back. I felt his fingers dance their way up my spine and then onto the back of my neck. I made my hand do the same, only not as gracefully or seductively as Riku could. When my hand finished its journey at the back of Riku's neck, I let it drop down to my side, but Riku's hand remained where it was. He leaned down a little closer to me and I looked up into his aqua eyes. I could feel his face coming closer and closer to my own, but I was dazed and I wasn't capable of doing anything but stand there.

"I love you, Sora," the boy whispered, his long silver bangs draping down over one eye. And without another word, Riku leaned in closer to me. He was going to kiss me. I tilted my head up to greet him, my mouth hanging slightly open. His lips had briefly brushed against mine before I realized, _Wait a sec! He's going to KISS me! Don't you know what that means, Sora?! You can't let him kiss you!!_ And before the older boy could tighten his lips around mine, I turned away, shyly, breaking all contact between the two of us. I could feel a new heat rising in my cheeks, warmer than I'd ever felt before. After all, I'd never been kissed before, and I had almost let this _boy _take that away from me. I couldn't look directly at Riku, but I knew his expression would be an inquiring one.

"I-I just wasn't ready..." I whispered. Riku put a hand against the wall of the shower and leaned against it.

"...It's okay. I understand..." he answered, quietly. The awkwardness settled in between us, and grew even more intense when we heard a knock at the cabin door.

"Riku! Sora! You guys in there?!" Roxas' voice called out. I looked at Riku, panickedly, my eyes wide.

"You go on out. I'll be out later so it won't look suspicious," Riku whispered. I nodded rapidly, trying to get under control again.

"I'll be right out!" I called, as Riku turned off the water. I then exited the shower, dried myself, and pulled my clothes on as quickly as I could. And then ran out of the bathroom to greet Roxas, the silver-haired boy still leaning against the shower wall.

I told Roxas that Riku was sleeping, and that I had just taken a shower, then we headed to the mess hall for lunch. Riku met up with us later, but we hadn't really talked much after that shower incident. Before we knew it, it was the last day of camp, and everyone was packing up their stuff. Riku and I said nothing to one another as we gathered up our things. Only one thing was clear in my mind. I had to get away from Riku, far away from him. Far away where I never had to talk to him again, where I couldn't see him, so I wouldn't think about him anymore. I wanted to forget how much confusion he had made me go through.

"Riku, I think it would be best if we just didn't see each other anymore," I spoke up, finally.

"Sora, I'm sorry. It's because of what I did. I shouldn't have gotten so close to you after you told me not to," he replied, looking up from the bag that he was packing.

"No, it's not anything you've done. It's just that being this close is too hard on both of us," I said, knowing that it was true. It really wasn't Riku's fault that we liked each other, but couldn't be together.

"You've got a good point," he sighed.

"Riku, I'm sorry too, you know?"

"Why?"

"Because, I'm stopping us from having a relationship."

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a relationship if only one of us wants it. A relationship is supposed to be enjoyed and cherished by both people in it. So, I'll wait. I want my first relationship to mean something," he said. For the first time, I realized how mature he could be.

"W-wait a sec... Your _first_ relationship?!"

"You're surprised?"

"Y-yeah... Uh, I'm sorry it didn't work out between us," I told him.

"It's okay. I'll be around if you change your mind."

"Thanks, Riku," I smiled.

And that afternoon as I walked out of cabin number seven, I felt lonely, because it hit me that I was really going to miss that boy with the silver hair.

Two weeks passed, and school was as boring as ever. I went back to sitting with the girls, who barely paid any attention to me anymore, and my classes seemed to drag on and on every day. I would pass Riku in the halls, but give him nothing more than a look of sadness. He gave me the same. Sometimes, I would find it hard not to cry when I saw him. I missed talking to him, I missed hanging out with him. But I knew I couldn't be around him anymore. It was too hard. If I could have just convinced myself that it was okay to love him, things might have been okay. But convincing myself of that matter was much harder than it seemed.

One night, I was in my kitchen working on my history homework when there was a knock on the door. I slammed my pencil down and then got up and opened the door to see Roxas, all in a panic. His hair was sweaty, he was out of breath, and his eyes looked like they were full of tears.

"W-what's wrong?" I asked, anxiously.

"I-it's the boys," he answered, shakily.

"What is it?"

"T-they were in a car accident... T-the police said alcohol was involved..." Roxas sobbed.

"...W-what...? Who was driving?" I whispered.

Roxas paused before answering.

"...Riku."

A/N : ...ah! I'm sorry. Don't kill me.


	10. Chapter 10

My shaky legs were carrying me down the sidewalk alongside Roxas. I had no words that could comfort me, or Roxas for that matter. Roxas had begged me to go with him to the hospital because he was afraid to see what kind of state Axel would be in. Of course, not much persuasion was needed to make me go. I agreed without question to go with him for support, but also, I was concerned about Riku. There was something that bothered me though. Roxas had told me that the police said alcohol had been involved in the accident. Way back when we had been at the school dance, Riku had said that he didn't drink, and I hadn't believed him then. But I had long ago changed my mind about him and trusted him. Apparently, my friend had betrayed that trust. A horrifying thought nagged at me. _Riku, don't tell me you were drinking because you couldn't be with me... please, I'm not worth that... _Visions of Riku, unconcious and wounded, surged through my mind like an avalanche. I could see his silver hair matted and drenched with blood, his body bruised and damaged beyond repair. My stomach turned uncomfortably. _He'll be okay. He has to be,_ I told myself. The deserted roads and dimmed streetlights didn't help me feel better, but only helped to make a feeling of dread and anxiety settle in like a cloud swallowing my whole body. Finally, I found the strength to stutter out the question that had been circling around in my mind.

"R-roxas...? T-they're not dead... are they?" Roxas regarded me, worriedly. He looked just about as shaken by the question as I was.

"B-by the time I got called to the scene, Riku was the only one left in the car. The rest had already been taken away."

"But, they got him out, right?" I asked, trying not to panic.

"Yeah, they got him out. But you wouldn't have wanted to see it... T-their car had to be taken apart just to get everyone out of it. And Riku... h-he didn't look so good... all covered in blood..." Roxas said, shakily.

"Okay, okay. That's enough... W-what did the police say?"

"Alcohol was involved... that's pretty much all they would tell me," he replied.

"So, they could be-?"

"They weren't dead," Roxas jumped in, obviously not wanting to hear the unthinkable.

"They weren't dead when they were taken from the scene of the accident," he said. I nodded, uneasily and continued to hurry down the street.

"And they'll still be alive when we get to the hospital..." I heard Roxas whisper to comfort us both.

We made it to the hospital, and a nurse, to our great relief, assured us that our friends were all alive and told us that Raijin and Seifer had also been in the car during the accident. Roxas and I wandered down the hall until we found Axel's room. The red-head was lying in a hospital bed with his eyes closed when we entered. Roxas panicked and ran to his friend's side.

"Axel!" he cried, grabbing Axel's hand. The older boy moved a bit at Roxas' touch.

"H-hey, Roxy..." Axel answered, weakly, opening his eyes very slightly.

"Axel," Roxas whimpered again. I came a little closer to the bed and put a hand on Roxas' shoulder.

"How are you doing, Axel?" I asked, softly. His eyes closed again, but he still spoke.

"Heh... they say my arm's broken," he mumbled. It was then that I noticed that Axel's right forearm was in a cast.

"How bad does it look?" he asked Roxas.

"I-I can't tell. It's all bandaged up," Roxas answered, and I could tell from his voice that he was holding back tears.

"Oh yeah... Hehe..." Axel replied. Other than his injured arm, his lack of energy, and his pale face, Axel, thankfully, didn't seem to be badly hurt.

"H-he seems pretty drowsy, doesn't he?" Roxas asked me. His white checkered sweater trembled with the rest of his body.

"Yeah. He probably just needs some rest," I assured him.

"Y-you're right," Roxas nodded.

"Hey, Roxas, are you gonna be okay here for a little while?" I asked.

"I guess so. Why?" he asked, turning around to look at me.

"I might go see Riku, if you don't mind..."

"Sure, I don't mind," he said, sitting down on Axel's bed.

"Okay. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Alright. I'll be back soon. And Roxas?"

"What?"

"Keep your chin up, okay? He's gonna be alright," I told him, smiling.

"Yeah," he answered, giving me a worried smile back..

I made it to the end of the hallway, and my heart lifted a bit when I saw the living proof that Riku's injuries weren't nearly as horrifying as I had envisioned. Riku was in a state much like Axel had been; lying down, eyes closed, dressed in white hospital clothing.

"Riku...?" I asked, quietly, walking through the doorway into the room. He grunted slightly before replying.

"Sora?"

"Yeah, I'm here," I told him, softly, sitting down beside him. His head had a bandage around it, and I was thankful I couldn't see the injury, or injuries, that lay underneath. He had small cuts on his face, and also on his neck and arms. His face was pale, and his eyes had dark circles beneath them.

"M-my head hurts," he whimpered.

"Headache?" I questioned.

"Yeah," he answered. "The doctor said I got cut pretty badly." My stomach turned at the thought.

"H-how long have you been here?"

"Long enough to get bandaged up," he replied. "I can't really remember much of the accident."

I swallowed hard and tried not to think about how easily Riku could have bled to death if he hadn't been brought to the hospital in time. I stared at his weak body, and although the thought of him being hurt made me sick to think about, a part of me still couldn't give him a lot of sympathy because I knew the accident had been his own fault.  
"...Riku, why would you?!" I asked him, desperately. He looked up at me, startled by my sudden outcry.

"Why would I what?" he questioned, his aqua eyes staring into my own.

"D-don't try to pretend, okay?!" I tried to prevent myself from breaking down, but I couldn't hold back after I said, "...I know you were drinking."

"What...?"

"I know you were drinking! You were the cause of the accident!"

"What are you talking about? I-" he tried to cut in, but the conflict going on inside me right then was too much for me to handle. I was thinking so irrationally that I couldn't even make myself listen to what he had to say.

"I trusted you, Riku. I was sure you were different from those other guys!" I cried.

"Sora, I wasn't drinking," Riku spoke up, defiantly.

"Don't lie about it!" I yelled.

"I'm not lying! D-did you come here to see if I was alright, or did you just come to yell at me?" Riku asked, seeming like my words had hurt him.

"You probably don't even know what you're talking about... You're probably still drunk," I sobbed.

"Sora, will you please just let me explain?" he asked. But I refused.

"No, I don't want to hear it. You already said you don't remember much of the accident. And anyway, I don't want to hear those words come from your mouth... that you drank because you wanted to be with me..." I whispered.

"What? Sora-" I knew then that I couldn't stay any longer. I was out of control. I didn't know what I felt right then. I was relieved that he wasn't too badly injured, and I was so thankful that he was alive, but I never wanted to think about him being drunk. I knew that he was a good person deep down, and I never wanted to see that good disappear, transformed into something horrible because of such a stupid thing. Right then, I didn't want to see him or listen to him or even be near him. I'd had _enough _of Riku, for good, for real, because of all the pain he caused me.

"I hope you feel better soon, Riku, but I-I can't see you anymore," I said, getting up. Riku sat up quickly in bed, as I tried to leave.

"S-sora... Would you please stay with me?" he asked, grabbing me with his soft hand, his long, slender fingers gripping my wrist. His eyes had the sparkle of tears in them. I could tell that he had gotten weak from moving so fast, because he let himself fall gently back to the bed again, but still held on to me.

"I-I just can't stand to be disappointed by you again, Riku. ...It hurts too much," my voice came in a whisper. And with that, I pulled away from his grasp and fled from the room, tears blurring my vision as I ran down the hall.

I didn't stop sobbing and running until I had made it back to Axel's room. When I got there, though, Roxas was standing in the doorway of the room, speaking to a police officer.

"Sora, are you okay?" Roxas asked, when I approached him.

"Oh... Yeah, I'm okay," I sniffed, wiping my tears away.

"As I was saying..." the police officer spoke up. "Two passengers in your friends' car were intoxicated, however, they were not the cause of the accident. They were hit by another car, driven by an impaired driver."

"They were hit?" Roxas questioned.

"Yes," he replied, his voice so harsh and serious that it scared me.

"The two passengers... W-was the driver of our friends' car, perhaps, one of the people who was intoxicated?" Roxas asked.

"No, the driver was not one of them," the police answered. His response took a moment to register in my head.

"W-wait. What?! He wasn't?" I questioned, desperately.

"No, he wasn't. The boys identified as Axel and Seifer were the two that were drinking," the officer explained.

"Axel was...?" Roxas whispered.

"But, there must be mistake. Riku was... I thought Riku-" I stuttered.

"He was not intoxicated," the police announced once again. I swallowed hard and felt more tears welling up. These, I figured, were tears of guilt.

"Who was driving the other car?" Roxas asked.

"An older man. He's given us trouble before with impaired driving," the officer said.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"He died in the crash." In that moment, I was more thankful than ever that Riku hadn't been the cause of the accident. If he had killed another person, he might never have been able to live with himself, and I might never have been able to look at him again. And right then, I wondered if I would ever be able to look at him again anyway. It was my own stupidity, my own prejudice assumptions that made me think this way. If I never saw Riku again, it would be because I was too ashamed of myself for accusing him of something horrible that he didn't even do.

"R-roxas, I need to go," I told him, my voice shaky.

"Okay... Why?" he asked.

"I just can't stay here any longer. I'm sorry," I said, breaking down into tears again. And I ran from the hospital, just as I had run from Riku's room. Never ceasing to cry, never looking back.

The next morning, I sat at the kitchen table, staring into my bowl of soggy cereal, unable to eat anything. My mother watched me intently. I hadn't told her what I had said to Riku, or what I had found out about the accident. She probably thought I was just upset that my friends had gotten hurt. But in reality, that was only a small part of the pain I was going through. I didn't want to feel this guilt forever, and I didn't want Riku's mind to be lingering on the harsh words I had said to him. My heart was torn two ways for what seemed like the millionth time. I wanted to avoid Riku because it seemed like trouble was in store for both of us whenever we were together. It was like trouble followed him. But at the same time, I knew I still loved him. I couldn't forget how safe I had felt at camp when my body was cuddled up against his. And I sure couldn't forget his eyes, how beautiful they looked when just the two of us were together, and how sad and pained they had looked when he showed me his bruises. Riku needed me, and I was finally realizing that I needed him too.

Eventually, I decided that I couldn't stand to stare into my cereal bowl any longer. I got up and took my dishes to the counter.

"Where are you going?" my mother asked.

"Back to the hospital," I answered, emotionlessly.

"Are you going to be okay, Sora?" she asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry."

Making myself walk through the doorway to Riku's hospital room was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It wasn't because I didn't want to apologize, it was because I was afraid he wouldn't forgive me. I tugged on the sleeves of my sweater, and tried to pull myself together.

"Riku?" I said, just like I had the day before. He turned his head to look at me.

"Oh... Hi, Sora," he answered, quickly staring back down at the bedsheets. I gulped, and then made myself enter the room.

"Riku, I need to talk to you," I told him, nervously, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. He still didn't turn his eyes to meet my gaze.

"What's there to talk about?" he asked, coolly.

"I know you probably don't want to see me right now, but I just had to tell you that I'm sorry!" I told him, urgently. He finally looked up at me, as I frantically tried to let him know how I felt.

"I heard it all from the police... You weren't drinking. It was the driver of the other car that was drunk, and he hit your car. I-I just really don't know what else I can say except I'm sorry for judging you. I'm really, really sorry!" I cried. I wished I could stop myself from crying all the time. If I could have counted all the tears that Riku had caused me, I might have had enough to fill a fountain.

"Hey... It's okay," he said, gently. I then felt a soft hand on my cheek. I closed my eyes and let him stroke my face.

"I'm so selfish..." I muttered.

"What?"

"I can't believe what I said yesterday. Why would I think you would drink because you couldn't be with me?! That's such a selfish thing to assume!" I sobbed.

"You can't blame yourself. You had no idea what extremes I might have gone to. Besides, it's not that strange a thing to assume," he said, still fondling my face.

"I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not. Don't say that." I stared at him for a minute before answering.

"I love you, Riku," I sobbed, practically melting down onto my knees, and lying my head down on his bed. He let out a gentle chuckle, and reached for my hand.

"I would tell you the same thing, but I don't think you'd let me," he said. I brought my head up a bit to look at him.

"No, please, Riku. Please, say it. I-if you still feel that way, I mean..."

"Of course, I still feel that way, but- I thought you said we couldn't see each other any more. You really want me to say it?"

"No, Riku. I _need_ you to say it," I replied. Riku nodded hesitantly, then motioned for me to sit up on the bed. I did as he wanted, and then trembled as he ran a hand along my jaw.

"I love you... Sora," he whispered. And with that, he leaned in towards me, ready for the kiss. And I knew I was ready this time. Riku's soft face brushed against mine, and I could feel that warm breath on my skin again. Why did I always fight against this feeling? Why did I always try to resist? Why was I constantly denying myself of what I wanted? The feeling was clear. I loved him, I was ready for this. Our lips just barely touched when we heard movement just outside the room. We pulled away from each other quickly. I jumped back into the chair and I let out a shaky breath of disappointment and disbelief as a nurse entered the room. Riku eyed me embarrassedly, and quickly shrugged his shoulders. I felt my cheeks flush and I tried to hide the shy smile that was creeping onto my tear-stained face.

"I'll change your bandages now, Riku," the nurse said.

"Oh, okay," Riku answered, and I couldn't believe how well he pulled off his casual voice, just as if nothing had happened.

"Well, I guess I'll see you soon, Riku," I said, getting up.

"Alright, then. Will you be back to visit?" he asked.

"For sure. And when you get out of the hospital, I promise, we'll be together all the time," I told him.

"I'd like that," he smiled, and I nearly turned to a puddle on the floor. I had never seen him give me a smile like that before, and I loved it. I grinned and then waved goodbye before heading out of the hospital. I knew that Riku had understood what I meant when I said we'd be together all the time. I would be with him, as a couple, hopefully forever. Because now I was positive, more sure than ever, that I was in love with Riku.

A/N : And there it is. He's alive. Sorry that Riku and Sora STILL didn't kiss. But trust me, the car accident was just a way to bring them closer together. Please, review, my faithful reviewers. :) I really appreciate it.


	11. Chapter 11

A week passed, and the day finally came for Riku to leave the hospital. I rushed to the hospital right after school with a box of chocolates, and some of Riku's clothes that I'd gotten from Roxas since the two of them shared a locker. Riku looked much healthier than he had the week before. Color had returned to his face and his little cuts had mostly healed. His head was no longer bandaged, and what remained in its place was a long thin cut that ran along from about the middle of his forehead and ended just below his temple. The cut seemed clean though, and looked like it would heal well. Riku smiled when I entered the room.

"Hi. I brought these for you," I grinned, handing him the chocolates.

"Aw... Thanks, Sora," he answered, his cheeks reddening slightly.

"You're welcome. And here's your clothes," I said. I knew he would have to change into some of his own clothes since he was still dressed in hospital clothing.

"How did you get these? ...You didn't go to my house, did you?" he asked, his expression changing to a worried one.

"No. Since you share a locker with Roxas, I just asked him if any of your clothes were in it," I explained, sitting down beside him.

"Oh, good. I-I would never want you to get hurt by... my father," he said, staring sadly down at the bed. I tilted my head to the side and regarded him.

"...Riku, would you want to stay at my house for a while? I don't want to see you get hurt either."

"No, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I know my mom wouldn't mind if you came," I told him, knowing full well that my mother would enjoy the company.

"No, it's okay. I'll be alright."

"O-okay," I said, still feeling unsure. But Riku smiled slightly, so I did the same.

"Anyway, you should get changed so we can get out of here," I said, passing him his sweatshirt, jeans, and all his other garments.

"Yeah," he answered, accepting them. He then paused and looked up at me. "Sora?"

"Uh-huh?"

"...I know the others weren't too badly hurt, but what if they _had_ been? Do you think they would hate me?" he asked, those aqua eyes displaying his concern.

"What? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" I questioned, shocked by his sudden inquiry.

"I don't know. I was just thinking... since Tidus turned against me so quickly, who's to say the others wouldn't do the same? Maybe they hate me already. After all, I was the one driving that car..."

"Riku, don't start thinking that! The accident wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. Sure, Tidus was a jerk, and Seifer can be a jerk sometimes too. But the ones like Axel and Roxas, they're your real friends. They would never hate you," I told him.

"You think so?"

"Of course I think so. Wakka asked how you were doing, and when I went to see how well Rai was recovering, he asked how 'The King of Cool' was," I grinned.

"He still thinks that about me?"

"Yeah."

"Sora, do you still think I'm a jerk like those other guys?" Riku asked.

"I think you were just hanging out with the wrong crowd. I don't believe you're bad like Tidus and Seifer." Riku still didn't look convinced.

"Look, don't worry about what happened in the past. Just think of this as your fresh start," I told him, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Will you help me?"

"Of course. Now, don't let anything else get you down today, alright? It's a day to celebrate," I smiled.

"'Kay," the silver-haired teen agreed.

"Now, let's hurry and leave."

Riku and I skipped through the park, hand-in-hand. I could tell he still had a lot on his mind, but I just kept a wide smile on my face, and hoped that he would follow suit. Finally, we made it to the swingset, and we each sat down on a swing. The sweet smell of the outdoor air and the energizing feeling of being with Riku again made me giggle a bit.

"What's with you?" Riku questioned curiously, looking over at me as he tried to catch his breath from all that skipping.

"I'm just happy. That's all," I smiled. He simply nodded and I nudged him with my elbow.

"You should be happy too," I said. I then kicked my shoes off and squished my bare feet into the sand below my swing.

"I wish I _could_ be happy like you," the older boy said, quietly. I took my eyes off my sandy feet and looked up at him.

"Why can't you be happy? What's on your mind?" I asked.

"Why did that accident have to happen...?"

"Accidents happen all the time, Riku. If we could prevent them, they wouldn't be accidents. I told you before, it wasn't your fault."

"I know it wasn't my fault. But Axel's arm is broken, and Rai and Seifer got a ton of bruises. I can't help but feel like I could've swerved out of the way or something to avoid getting hit," he explained, his voice sounding dark and his eyes focused on the ground.

"You did all you could. You were responsible and didn't drink. You could've gotten hurt even worse if you had swerved. I know you're concerned about your friends, but you got hurt too, remember?"

"I know..."

"Uh, I don't really like to ask this but, uh, did the nurses say anything about your bruises?" I asked, tensely.

"No. I don't think they could distinguish them from the bruises I got in the accident. I guess they don't know where the majority of them came from."

"Riku..." I whispered.

"Don't feel bad for me, please."

"I can't help it. But, looking on the bright side, if the car accident hadn't happened, we might never have talked to each other again," I said, swinging gently back and forth and dragging my feet through the sand.

"Y-yeah. Why _did_ you come and talk to me again?" he asked.

"I had to see if you were okay. You're still my friend, and I couldn't just sit there after I'd heard about the accident."

"I see. So, speaking of talking to each other again, are you serious about wanting to be together all the time?" the silver-haired boy asked.

"Yeah."

"We'd be together... as a couple... right?"

"Y-yeah. I mean, we'd have to start out slow... I-I've never been in a relationship before," I stuttered.

"Me neither. Not a real one, at least. I went out with some girls, but they were only after my looks. That was enough for me for a while, but then I started to realize that I wanted... something more. I wanted someone to love me for who I am."

"Well, don't worry. I care about you for who you are," I smiled.

"Are you afraid to say the '_L_' word today?" he teased, giving me a smirk.

"N-no. O-okay, yeah, maybe a bit," I flushed.

"That's okay. It is a bit... awkward, especially when you consider all that's happened between us."

"Yeah, but, I've seen something deep in you that I don't think you knew existed inside you," I said.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" the older teen questioned.

"I've seen goodness and caring in you, Riku," I smiled, softly, unable to look into his eyes because my face felt so warm. Riku let out a light, content sigh and then spoke.

"I don't know where you found it, but you've proved to me that it's there."

"That's good." I stayed silent for a minute before speaking up again.

"Hey, Riku, I've been wanting to tell you something for a while, but I could never really find the right time."

"What is it?" he asked, flicking a piece of his silver hair out of his eyes.

"The reason why I lack, um, manly influences," I said, anxiously.

"Oh. Okay?"

"M-my dad left the family when I was only four or five years old. After that, my mom raised me on her own," I explained, staring at the ground.

"I-I'm sorry. I had no idea," Riku said.

"It's okay."

"It must have been hard for you and your mom."

"Well, yeah, a bit. But we manage okay. And we're really close, so it's not that bad. But what always hurt the most was not knowing why my dad left. And I... I always wondered if it was because of me..." I trailed off.

"Sora, I'm sure it wasn't because of you. Your parents could have been having problems that you weren't even aware of," Riku said.

"Maybe... But, my dad used to laugh and say that I wasn't very manly, and that I was more like my mom than I should have been."

"How manly can someone be at the age of four or five?" he asked, trying to cheer me up.

"Heh... I dunno. But I'll bet you were manly when you were little," I told him.

"Doubtful. But, regardless, I... always liked you just the way you were, and to tell you the truth, I didn't ever think you needed those masculinity lesssons to be liked," Riku confessed. I glanced up at him, embarrassedly and smiled.

"Thanks, Riku," I said, as he slipped off his shoes as well and dug his feet into the sand beside mine.

He then wrapped an arm around me, and I leaned in against him, feeling relaxed and safe, just as if I had come home to where I belonged.

It was the last week of school before exams would start. Riku and I had decided not to let our relationship go too far before school was over. For one thing, we didn't want everyone to find out about it yet, and secondly, the two of us had to focus on our schoolwork. But I was looking foward to spending the summer with Riku. I wanted to get to know him even better than I already did. It had felt so good to talk to him in the park that day, and I felt all of a sudden like I could tell him anything. He was the first person that I had ever really talked to about my father. Kairi and the other girls knew he had left, but they had no idea that I felt responsible for it. I was happy that I had finally found someone that I trusted enough to tell about that, and I was even happier that that someone was Riku.

Monday morning, I had gym class with Riku. I kept giving him shy smiles, and he would return them, but I held back as much as I could so our attraction to each other wouldn't be so obvious to the rest of the class. It felt good to see Riku looking healthy and content again, playing his favorite sport; soccer. Our gym teacher had gone to the office for a minute, but told us to keep the game going. Luckily, I wasn't the goalie this time, but Riku was still on the opposite team. Tidus, even though he was on my team, pushed me out of the way so he could get the ball from Riku. Riku dodged Tidus and started heading for my team's net. Seifer cheered from the bench since he was still too sore to play. Tidus then became more competative, and broke into an even faster run. He gained on Riku, who wasn't expecting it, and shoved him roughly to the side, stealing the ball. Angry hollars echoed in the gym.

"Not fair! No physical contact is allowed!" some of the class called out. Tidus rushed away from Riku, keeping the ball in his possession. Riku ran after the blonde, but I watched as he slowed down and finally came to a halt. I watched as he breathed shakily and with difficulty.

"Riku, maybe you should take it easy. The doctor said not to push yourself too hard," I called to him. Then he started coughing, and I figured he would be okay after a minute. But when he bent over with his hands on his knees, and continued to choke, I knew there was something wrong.

"Riku, are you okay?" I asked, walking cautiously over to him. He glanced up at me weakly and shook his head in response.

"Guys, help!" I yelled.

"What's wrong? What do you want us to do?" Raijin asked, giving up on running after Tidus and turning to me.

"Get help! I don't think he can breathe!" I shouted as I watched Riku struggle for air. My stomach tightened at the sight of him. I put a hand on his back and rubbed it, hoping it would help him catch his breath. But when it didn't, I put my arms underneath him to try to brace him.

"Riku?" I asked. He looked over his shoulder at me for a quick second before I felt him go limp. Immediately, I supported his weight and carefully lay his body down.

"He's passed out!" I panicked.

"I'll go get a nurse!" Pence yelled, disappearing quickly out of the gym.

"Is he going to be alright?" Seifer asked, getting up and joining the circle that had formed around Riku and I.

"Not if we don't do something," I said, urgently.

"Like what? What do we do?" Tidus asked.

"Mouth-to-mouth," one of the boys said so quietly that I couldn't even figure out which one had said it.

"Well...? Come on, then!!" I shouted. The boys exchanged glances and then looked back at me, incredulously.

"I'm not doing it," someone said.

"Me neither," said a few more.

"But, he could die-" I panicked. My stomach tightened even more. And even though this was the boy that most people thought I hated so much, and even though I was embarrassed, I waved my hands around in the air to make everyone back off.

"Oh, get out of the way!!" I ordered. I leaned down and pressed my lips against Riku's soft ones. Tears ran down my cheeks as I thought, _I didn't expect my first kiss to be anything like this..._

Not long after, I found myself feeling completely dazed and sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. Everything had happened so fast that I could barely remember any of it. I could hardly believe that Riku was back in this dreadful place right after getting out. Suddenly, the door to the doctor's room opened and I jumped up from my seat.

"How is he...?" I asked, my legs feeling quite shaky beneath me.

"He's going to be alright," the doctor answered.

"Oh, good," I sighed with relief and felt like I could have passed out. "What happened to him? Was it because he over-exerted himself right after being that car accident?"

"It _is_ because of over-exertion, but it's not because of that. It's his cancer acting up." I paused and let the doctor's sentence register.

"Wait... What? Riku has what?!"

"He was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years back, caused by tobacco smoke," the doctor explained. My legs trembled beneath me. I clenched my fists. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't want to hear any more from the man in front of me. I didn't want to hear anyone try to comfort me. Everything made sense. Riku couldn't skateboard anymore because of his cancer, he looked sick in the bar because of all the smoke, he had gotten out of breath in the park, and now it affected him while playing soccer.

"How will I ever be able to trust anyone again?" I whispered.

"Pardon?"

"How?!" I shouted. Riku was unbelievable. The second I would begin to trust him, it seemed something would go wrong, and I _would not, could not, stand for it again!_

"You told me you didn't smoke... You told me that!!" I cried, even though I knew Riku couldn't hear me.

"You told me you didn't drink! You were probably lying about that too!!"

"Sora-" the doctor spoke, but I cast him a silencing look. I shot a glance through the open door, at the sleeping silver-haired boy, and clenched my fists even tighter together. Everything was about to fall apart again. Every word we had spoken to each other at the park, every special moment we had spent with each other, all of it now seemed like a lie.

"I... I HATE YOU, RIKU!!" I screamed, before turning and running. And I couldn't help but wonder if my eyes had been playing tricks on me, for it seemed like Riku's eyes had flickered open just as I had said those words.

A/N : ...All I have to say is, I warned you it wouldn't stay happy forever. But please, stick with me to the end. Only one more chapter to go. Thanks reviewers and readers, once again.


	12. Chapter 12

When I had gotten out of the hospital, I slowed my run down to a walk and dragged my feet along the ground as I made my way back to the park, only to collapse to my knees in front of the swingset. I didn't even bother to try and pick myself back up. I felt too broken. _I wanted to help him. He was my friend. How can I do anything for him if I can't trust him? All I wanted to do was help... I... loved him... _I brushed a tear away as it dripped down my face. _Riku... how could you? You're not supposed to smoke... _I turned my head to look behind me when I heard footsteps approaching. A kind, yet worried face was staring back at me. It was Roxas. Quickly, I got up and broke into another run. I didn't want comfort. Words of comfort, I knew, would be of no use here.

"Sora!" Roxas shouted, and I could tell he was following me. But I couldn't look back.

"Sora! Wait!" Roxas called again. Remembering the boy that was causing me to run in the first place, I felt tears well up and a lump seemed to form in my throat, making me choke. I slowed down a bit and Roxas grabbed my arm, bringing me to a halt.

"What?!" I yelled, turning violently to face him, my arm still in his grasp.

"It's about Riku," the blonde answered, softly.

"I don't wanna talk about Riku!" I cried, trying to pull free.

"But, it's something you need to know."

"I don't want to hear it!!"

"Riku doesn't smoke!!" Roxas shouted.

"Don't lie! I'm sick of being lied to!"

"No one has lied to you and no one's going to. Riku's never smoked in his life!"

"Of course he smokes. How come he was diagnosed with cancer, then?" I demanded, figuring Roxas would have no response.

"His father has a smoking addiction, not to mention he's a heavy drinker too. But Riku's cancer was caused by second-hand smoke," he explained. I swallowed hard. The thought hadn't crossed my mind. But it was possible. _If Riku's father drinks and abuses him, who's to say he wouldn't smoke too...?_

"H-his cancer was caused by second-hand smoke?" I repeated. Roxas nodded, and let go of my arm.

"I-I've got to go apologize to him. I got mad at him for something he didn't do... again," I whispered the last word.

"Well, maybe you should go talk to him, then. Communication works better than you think sometimes."

"Yeah. Roxas, do you think he'll forgive me?" I asked, nervously.

"You're good friends, right?"

"...I haven't really been a good friend lately."

"You're the only one Riku will really talk to. And with your caring self, I'm sure you two can patch things up," Roxas smiled.

"But wait, Roxas. I promised myself... I promised myself after the car accident that I was done with Riku for good, that I wouldn't go back to him."

"T-that didn't work out so well. But why would you promise yourself that anyway? Riku _is _your friend, isn't he?" Roxas asked.

"Yes... But I promised myself that because with every incident with Riku comes misfortune and, for me, disappointment," I explained, staring down.

"And misunderstanding," Roxas added.

"...Wha?"

"Last time, your disappointment in Riku turned out to be a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, Riku wasn't drinking in the accident. So what? How many misunderstandings can there be before one of the disappointments turns out to be real?" I questioned.

"I-I don't know."

"Exactly. And it hurts too much to wait and find out. That's why... I refuse to go back to Riku!" I yelled, breaking once again into a run. And this time, Roxas didn't bother to follow me. But I couldn't help but wonder, '_am_ I_ the one doing wrong? Am _I _the one who doesn't understand the meaning of trust?'_

Exam week was thoroughly unpleasant. I had a low attention span when it came to studying anyway, but with Riku still lingering on my mind, it became harder to concentrate. But all the same, the week passed and I found myself walking out of my final exam, only to be called to by Kairi.

"Wait up, Sora!" she called, running after me, dressed in her plaid school uniform.

"Hi, Kairi," I answered, dully, barely even looking up at her as we walked out of the school together.

"That's it? '_Hi, Kairi_'? No '_how were your exams, Kairi?_' or '_Gee, you look nice today, Kairi_,'?" she questioned.

"No, sorry," I replied, absently, continuing to walk. Kairi grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.

"What's up with you lately, Sora? You barely talk, and you barely hang out with the girls and I anymore," she said.

"Sorry. I guess a lot's been happening lately."

"Bad things?"

"Good and bad."

"Between you and Riku?" she questioned, looking hopeful.

"Yeah, go ahead, Kairi. You can have him," I muttered.

"Have him? A big, mean, dummy like Riku?!"

"Wh-what?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Uh, I mean, uh, sexy hunk...?"

"What's going on, Kairi? I thought you were _obsessed _with Riku..."

"I... Okay, I lied! I don't really like Riku or care about him at all!" she told me, becoming flustered.

"What?!" I gave her an inquiring look.

"I never really liked Riku the way Selphie did. Sure, he's extremely good looking but that's about all I see in him," she said.

"Then why-?"

"I just pretended to like him to make you jealous, Sora!!" she explained, desperately.

"What? Jealous?!"

"Yes! You had all that time and you never asked any of us out, and so I just had to make you jealous by pretending to like Riku."

"So... all that time, you liked-"

"You. I liked you, Sora," Kairi confessed, staring down at her shoes, her cheeks quite pink.

"Uh-huh... I don't really know what to say." Kairi giggled and flipped her hair back. When I didn't do anything, she repeated her actions.

"Um, Sora, I'm waiting," she said, giving me an urging look.

"Waiting? For what?" I asked.

"For you to ask me out," she replied, simply, smiling.

"I-I'm sorry, Kairi. I can't. M-my heart's still aching too much," I whispered. She looked at me curiously.

"I don't want to talk about it," I added. The red-haired girl adjusted the bag on her shoulder and cleared her throat.

"Looks like he was right," she said, quietly. Her eyes were watery, but she managed to keep herself from crying.

"Who was right about what?" I asked.

"Roxas was right about you and Riku."

"What about us?"

"It was so obvious, I can't believe I didn't see it before."  
"What are you talking about, Kairi?" I demanded.

"You love him," she said, turning to me. I averted my gaze to the ground immediately.

"I-it's obvious?" I asked, awkwardly.

"Yes. And his love for you is just as obvious." I couldn't find anything to say. So what if we had both loved each other? It didn't matter anymore. Riku and I would just have to go our separate ways. I wished him well, though. I hoped he'd find someone that would give him the love he wanted, the love he deserved. It just couldn't be me. _But why? Why can't it?_ I wondered as I walked away from Kairi without another word.

My feet carried me down the sidewalk and I had almost made it home. That lonely house was where I would spend my entire summer. No Kairi, no Selphie or Naminé, no Roxas, and most of all, no Riku. No skateboarding in the park, no swimming at the pool, no soccer. I wasn't going anywhere because everything reminded me of... him. I would be doing dishes while the girls would be shopping and the guys would be getting into whatever kind of trouble they could find, and Riku would be... _Wait_, I thought. _Riku won't be doing anything. The two of us will be spending our summers... simply being broken._ Realizing I wasn't quite ready to emprison myself in my house yet, I took in a deep breath and let myself fall backwards onto the grass beside the sidewalk. I lay down and rested my hands behind my head, staring up at the sky. Not long after I had started to doze off did I hear footsteps. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into a pair of very familiar aqua eyes. _Oh no... It's you._

"Sora, can I talk to you?" Riku asked.

"Why?" I asked back, sitting up in the grass.

"Please, will you give me a chance?" the silver-haired boy asked.

"I've given you far more chances than I should have," I answered, brushing myself off and avoiding eye contact with him.

"At least give me a chance to try to understand what's going on in your mind, and also to explain myself."

"F-fine."

"Listen, I've never smoked before and I never want to," he said.

"I don't know what to believe anymore. Besides, the thought of you smoking ruined my image of you."

"And that's why you hate me?"

"What?" I asked.

"I heard you scream that at the hospital..." he told me, quietly.

"O-oh yeah..." I said, guiltily.

"I swear to you, Sora, my cancer was caused by second-hand smoke... because of my father."

"Roxas said the same thing, but if that was the case, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you. Unless you're lying and you just didn't want me to know that you smoke."

"Sora, I wouldn't lie to you. I don't smoke. Why are you always so quick to accuse me of doing something bad? Why are you always expecting the worst of me?" he asked, turning his head away from me and seeming quite hurt.

"B-because... I... Riku, I just look up to you so much, yet I'm always trying to find reasons why I shouldn't love you. My jealousy and my hatred towards you was just my way of lying to myself about my true feelings for you. After all, it's wrong, isn't it? Our love?"

"Maybe you should start caring less about what other people think, and more about what you feel."

"I'm just afraid that you'll do something I'll never be able to forgive you for," I said, feeling like tears weren't far off.

"Sora...?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I can't really be blamed for barely knowing right from wrong. My upbringing hasn't been the best."

"I know. But you said before that your mom is away. When will she be back? I'm sure she'll help you get through all this." Riku stared down and rubbed his hand awkwardly.

"She won't be coming back to me for a while, I'm afriad," Riku said, a soft, yet sad and distant smile on his face.

"Wait... What?" I asked. He looked up at me and nodded, that sad smile still lingering.

"She...died?" I asked, quietly. Riku nodded again.

"She died of lung cancer... like I have, caused by second-hand smoke."

"R-riku?"

It all made sense. Riku hadn't wanted me to leave him at the hospital after the accident because I was the only person to come and visit him. His mother had never come when he was at the hospital either time he was there. And most of all, Riku never mentioned her. I was speechless.

"Sora, I'm really sorry for everything I put you through. And I'm sorry that you hate me," he said.

"I-I don't really hate you, Riku," I told him, gently, feeling guilty for what I'd said before.

"I know we were really close to having a relationship and everything, but as you know we got interrupted because my life is pretty messed up right now."

"Yeah..."

"I only have one parent and he just happens to be abusive, alcoholic, and is a smoke addict which could soon end up... taking my life."

"Riku..."

"And my 'friends' were only good at getting me into more trouble. And on top of all that, I... I fell in love with a boy who can't seem to get close to me," he said.

"Riku, i-it's not like that," I stuttered.

"Sora, I know this seems kind of stupid but as it stands now, I may not make it to see my eighteenth birthday."

"Riku..."

"Please, I know this is a big request, and you can say no if you want, but I wish you would be the one to help me get away from it all." And it was then that I couldn't hold back any longer. I let out a really loud sob and ran into his arms, hugging him.

"No question about it, I'll help you. Come live with me and my mom," I cried.

"What about... our relationship?" he asked, looking down at my face that I was trying to bury into his shirt.

"If I explain, my mom will understand."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Besides, I-I kind of liked the feel of your lips," I said, embarrassedly, pulling away from him slightly.

"What?"

"I had to give you mouth-to-mouth when you passed out in gym class."

"And you liked it?" he asked, surprisedly.

"Not exactly. I cried because it wasn't the 'first kiss' I was expecting."

"I see," he said, pausing for a minute. "Well, if you're ready, I'm willing to give you your final lesson."

"And what's that?" I questioned, still teary-eyed.

"How to kiss a boy." I looked up at Riku, my lip starting to tremble.

"But, I've never done this before," I told him.

"I know. Neither have I. But that's kind of the point," he smirked. I nodded, giving him a tearful smile. I tilted my head up towards him, ready for him to lean in, but he pulled back.

"On one condition. Promise you'll trust me from now on?" he asked. And this time I knew I could. All the secrets were out. All was said that needed to be said. We loved each other, we wanted to be with each other, we even needed each other. And now I didn't need to hold back any longer. It didn't matter who saw us together, it didn't matter that I cared for him more than I ever did for any girl. There was no need for me to pretend to hate him anymore. All we needed now was trust, and I did trust him.

"I'll promise if you swear never to drink or smoke. I-I don't want to see anything bad happen to you," I sniffed.

"I swear that to you, Sora. I promise," he said, looking me in the eye.

"Then I promise too," I answered, hugging him tighter. I loosened my grip when I felt a soft hand on my face brushing away a tear that had left a wet path down my cheek. I stared up into those incredible eyes, that delicate face that was so nicely framed by silver hair. Riku's hand travelled down to my jaw and a single finger ran along under my chin and tilted my head up towards him. This time, Riku did lean in towards me and the second his lips brushed against mine, a shiver of excitement surged through my body. I felt a hand on the small of my back, pulling me in closer. Riku let himself go deeper into the kiss, pressing harder against my lips. Seconds later, he was rubbing my back as his tongue licked my lips, then entered my mouth. I could tell my face was turning bright red, especially since all this was taking place in plain view. But I didn't care at this point. I liked what was happening. Even though I didn't know what to do, I didn't mind. I let Riku do everything, mostly because I was too shy to kiss back too hard. But I was enjoying every minute of it, and Riku tasted sweeter than I'd ever imagined. Finally, Riku let go of me, broke the kiss and took a few short gasps of air.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," I answered, dumbly, still in awe.

"Haha. Good," he smirked, kissing my lovestruck body quickly on the cheek. "And that completes the final lesson. How to kiss a boy." Riku grabbed my hand, snapping me out of my daze.

"Y-yeah," I smiled, shyly. I then glanced around to see an older man staring out his kitchen window at us, and a few girls from school walking down the street towards us.

"Ehehe... N-now, let's get home to my place so we can start our new life," I stuttered, blushing even more.

"Together," Riku said. I grinned at him.

"Yeah. Together."

Riku became just like a member of our family almost immediately after he moved in with us. To my mom, he was like another son. And to me, well, he was my boyfriend. I don't have to deny it anymore. Tidus, Seifer, and Raijin went on to become top althetes of pretty much all the summer sports teams, while Riku and I spent the summer with Roxas, Axel, Demyx, Hayner, and Wakka, and sometimes the girls. When we weren't hanging out, I worked at a diner to get money to pay for any treatment Riku might need for his cancer. Riku said he would work too, but my mom insisted that he stay home and be waited on. He feels guilty but I think the life of luxury is what he deserves. After having it so rough in the past, I figure it's good for him. I think he's happy living with us.

I know they say to never judge someone before you get to know them, and it's completely true. Riku didn't turn out to be the stuck-up jerk I always thought he was. He turned out to be something much better, and all he needed was some help. I just wish I hadn't been so stupid in the beginning and hated him, but all is forgiven and forgotten now, and I'm happy about that, even though I was probably more of a jerk to him than he was to me.

Every night, Riku and I talk for a while before we go to bed. We talk about everything from my job to what kind of swimsuits we'd look best in. But one thing I'll never forget, even if Riku's cancer takes him away from me much too early, is the last thing we say to each other before we link hands and sleep.

"How much do you love me again?" Riku always asks.

"More than all the stars, the moon, the sun, and the earth put together," I answer. "And how much do you love me?"

"More than words can say. After all, I might not be alive right now if it weren't for you," he replies.

"I love you, Riku." And he always waits a while until he thinks I'm asleep, but I make sure to stay up long enough to hear him whisper,

"...I love you more."

A/N : ... THE END!! I'm not totally pleased with this chapter, but as many times as I've read it over, I can't seem to get it right so that I'm happy with it. But, it's not that bad, I suppose. Thank you to all reviewers and readers who have stuck with this story right till the end. I really appreciate it. I wish there were more chapters because I love the reviews I get where everyone anxiously awaits the next chapter. But anyway, that's about it. Sora and Riku are together. All is good. Yay. So one last time to all the fans of this story, thank you so much!!


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